We Are
by blueturtlepower4ever
Summary: What if Leo had stolen that katana with Karai? He wouldn't have met Raph until later that night, he would have been closer to Karai, and their relationship would have been so much closer, the events turning out so differently. This is the alternate story of Leo and Karai, the one every shipper wished had happened.
1. Thieves

**Hey, I know I shouldn't start something else, but I had this idea and I had to write it down. If you're as big a fan of Episode 14 as I am, you have probably wonder this at some point too. What would have happened if Leo had agreed to steal the sword with Karai? I apologize if this is not up to my usual quality but I am sick today and I started this at 5:35 in the morning, so cut me some slack. Anyway, read on!**

Man, it's already 12:02! If I don't move my shell, I'm going to miss her. The Byerly Building is taller than I thought, but I finally make it to the top where Karai is pacing.

"I was beginning to think you were a no-show." She says before she turns around. "But you don't disappoint."

"What's this all about?" I ask warily. I don't draw my swords, giving her the benifit of the doubt.

"That." She says as she tosses me a pair of binoculars and points to an office across the street. I lift the binoculars up to my face and focus in on the selected office. It's a sword, resting on a pedestal. Wait a minute. I know that sword!

"That's the sword of Miomoto Mushashei." I almost gasp in awe.

"The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan." Karai adds with a touch of respect in her voice as well. "It's ancient, it's priceless, and it's yours. If you help me."

"Do what?" I ask hesitantly, all though I think I already know.

"You know what! We're going to steal it!"

"No we're not." I say firmly. No way would I ever steal.

"Come on, that sword's just sitting there, collecting dust. You know you deserve that katana, certainly more than some lazy rich guy that doesn't even own it.

"Then who does on it?" I ask, curious in spite of myself.

"Theoretically the National Heritage Museum of Japan has it on display. But that one's a fake, swapped for the real one a long time ago. It used to be admired everyday. Now, it sits locked away by some rich guy who can't even begin to give it the respect it deserves." Okay, gotta admit, that sounds pretty wrong.

Almost as if she knows what I'm thinking, Karai presses on. "You know you would give it proper respect. You would appreciate its history. So why shouldn't you have it?"

_She has a point, _my mind whispers.

_But it's wrong!_ I tell myself.

_Is it really? Is stealing from a thief wrong? And it would impress Karai if you stole it with her._

_Ugh, I am seriously sick. It is wrong. What difference does it make if I have it or the rich guy?_

_You would respect it. You would treat it properly. And, hey! You could always send it back to the museum she was talking about! Do some good!_

_Okay, okay. I'm sold._

"I'll do it." I say aloud.

She smiles at me and I feel my heart melt. "Excellent." She grabs my hand and pulls me to the fire escape on the left side of the building. She's holding my hand she's holding my hand she's holding my hand! I think giddily as she leads the way to the ground. She yanks me into the shadows of the building and lets go of my hand, to my disappointment.

She looks both ways, then darts across the street into the shadows of the alleyway beside our target. She gestures for me to join her and after checking that the coast is clear, I do.

We sneak deeper into the alley until we come across a loading dock, with a door. Locked of course, with a key card reader. Karai pulls out a card covered with lights and electrical dodads that I can't even hope to recognize and sticks it in the slot. The lights on the card start flashing and soon the light on the reader turns from red to green. There's a loud click and the door opens a smidge.

"Foot Clan technology. Gotta love it." She whispers. We creep into the building, dark and full of corners to hide in. Perfect for stealth. It's almost too easy sneaking past the cameras. Still in stealth mode, Karai calls up an elevator while I watch her back. It arrives with a ding that sounds like a bomb blast to me. As soon as the doors open Karai tosses a small red ball at the camera in the corner. It splatters on impact and covers the lens in paint.

"Nice." I whisper. I'll have to remember to ask Donnie if he can make some. They would come in handy. Of course, I can't tell him where I got the idea.

"Thanks." She hisses back as we board the elevator. She hits the 12 button and we zoom up in relative silence. I can't help examining the small room. I've never been in a human building, let alone an elevator. Though I try to hide it, Karai notices and smirks at my curiousity.

"This is an elevator." She says in a slow, patronizing voice. "It uses cables and pulleys to lift heavy things and people up higher."

"Oh, shut up." I say crossly, but I smile too.

Finally the elevator stops and the doors open with a ding. We both immediately dart to the shadows. We are in a narrow hallway with about 20 doors, 10 on each side. Karai waves at me, then points at the fifth door down on the right side of the hallway. We run down the hall, Karai throwing paintballs at any cameras we can't avoid. Karai uses that keycard she used to get in again, opening the door in less than a minute. There are four cameras in the room, all aimed at the only thing in the room. The sword of Miomoto Mushashei.

"Allow me." I say, and proceed to slice the cameras in half. Feeling Karai's eyes on me, I add in a couple of unnecessary flips and some exaggerated swings.

When I finish, she claps mockingly and walks to the center of the room. "Miomoto Mushashei's sword. The Sword of Tengu. Beautiful." She breathes. She waves her hands over it like it's a prize in a gameshow. "Your sword."

I start to reach for it, then stop. Am I really going to do this? Steal this sword? Even though I know it's wrong?

"Come on Leo! Take it! You've come this far. Go big or go home."

This is wrong.

No it's not. Remember? You're going to send it back to the museum. You'll be like Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

That seals the deal. My hand touchs the cool metal of the sheath and I lift the sword. For a moment, pure silence. Then a blaring alarm fills the air.

"What is that?!" I ask, panicked.

"Lifting the sword must have triggered some sort of alarm. Come on, we've got to get out of here." We fly into the hallway and see the elevator zooming up. The sound of pounding feet is coming from the stairwell. We're surrounded. There's no way out.

"We're trapped!" I yell.

"No we're not." Karai says determinedly. She grabs my wrist and pulls me back into the room. She takes her sword out and starts slamming it into the glass. It cracks, but stays intact. Getting the idea, I shove The Sword of Tengu into my belt, secure it, and draw my own two swords. I join Karai in pounding on the glass, and with an extra kick, the glass breaks. I resheath my swords, pull out my grappling hook and fire it at the Byerly Building. It catches on the roof ledge and holds.

Turning to Karai, I offer her my hand. She hesitantly accepts. I wrap my arm around her and pull her close as I jump out the window. For once, Karai loses her composure and clings to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

For one, two, three seconds pass in free fall. Then the rope becomes taut, and we start falling sideways. I pull my legs in close, and when we're about to slam into the wall, I push off. We bounce a couple of times, then come to a stop against the building. I flick the switch on the grappling hook and we zoom up to the rooftop. Karai pulls herself onto the roof and I do the same. We are both panting hard from all the excitement. I think my heart had stopped at some point, it was that tense.

"That was awesome." Karai gasps out, a wicked grin on her face.

"Awesome? We almost got caught." I retort.

"That's what makes it fun." She smirks even wider. "Don't tell me you don't love the adrenaline rushing through you right now." Once again, she's hit the nail on the head. The thrill of the escape has left me with a pulsing, daredevil-like feeling. I wonder if this is how Raph feels in fights, and that's why he likes them so much. Or maybe he just likes to pound people.

"Okay, I admit it. That was kinda fun." I confess. She just stares at me. "What?" I ask.

"Aren't you going to look at the prize?" She asks excitedly. The Sword of Tengu. I had almost forgotten about it. It's still secured in my belt. I grasp the hilt and unsheathe it with a _shing!_ It's absolutely amazing. Even after a thousand years, it gleams like it was made yesterday. The flawless metal arches slightly, creating a deadly weapon.

"Whoa." I whisper.

"Nice, isn't it?" Karai says softly in awe. "And it's yours Leo." For a moment, I'm tempted to keep it. It's an amazing piece of histroy and a fine weapon. But I know that would be wrong. I will not keep it. I resheath the sword though, and salute Karai.

"Thanks for a wonderful night on the town Karai."

"We should do this again sometime." She says.

I shake my head slowly. "I think one heist is enough for this turtles life. But yeah, we should totally hang out again sometime."

She shakes her head back at me. "You're such a goody-goody. All right, but you're missing out."

I roll my eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

Karai starts to walk past me, then stops. Quick as a whip, she punches my arm.

"Ow! I thought we were cool."

"That's for when you return the sword to the museum instead of keeping it." How did she know I'm planning to do that? She steps a little closer and kisses me on the cheek. "That's for getting us out of there."

My face flushes red. I gape like an idiot and slowly reach my hand up to the spot her lips brushed against my cheek.

She smirks evilly, yet kindly at me, then fades into the shadows. "Sayonara."

Oh my gosh, she kissed me! She kissed my cheek! This is the best day of my life!

**I had originally intended for this to be a oneshot with Raph finding out about Karai at the end, but when I started writing that part, it kept getting longer and going into a whole new direction, so I decided to cut it out and post it as a second chapter. If I get enough reviews, I might continue making it a story. So please review, tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time!**


	2. Friends

**2 chapters in one day! Yes! I really enjoyed writing this part, for some reason. Takes place on the same night Leo and Karai "stole" the sword. Again, if this is not up to my usual standards, or there are misspelled words, I've been sick all day and up since 5:30 am, so kinda running on fumes. Enjoy!**

One trip to the junkyard and another trip to the UPS office later, I'm running across rooftops, still giddy from Karai's kiss. Suddenly, I stop. I feel eyes on me. I'm not alone. I search the rooftops and spot a slim figure hiding in the shadows across the street. Karai. I smile at her and I'm about to wave when I hear an angry voice behind me.

"LEO!" I whirl around to see Raph marching up to me.

"Raph! Wha-what do you want?" My mood instantly sours.

"Well, let's see. Maybe an explanation about why when we were fighting for our lives against Snakeweed, you were with a girl in the Foot!"

"What? H-How did - "

"April texted Donnie saying you were going to the Byerly Building. But when I got there, you were nowhere to be seen. So I went to April's to see why she thought you would be there. And I learned some pretty interesting things. How could you Leo? That girl is in the Foot!"

"Her name is Karai." I stare at him coldly.

"Oh, excuse me. KARAI is in the Foot. Doesn't that make everything all right? Happy?"

"Lay off Raph. I know what I'm doing." I try to walk away, but Raph steps in front of me, blocking my path.

"Leo, she is using you! Whatever she wants from you, it's for her benifit and our downfall."

"You're wrong. There's good in her, I can sense it."

"She is in the Foot, Leo! The first chance she gets, when you're no longer useful to her, she'll stab you in the shell and take you to Shredder."

"She would never do that. You don't know her like I do."

"Oh, and you know her so well."

"I don't have to take this." Again I try to march away, but again Raph stops me.

"Actually you do, fearless leader." Something inside me snaps. I'm usually good at keeping my temper, but Raph has pushed me too far today. My fingers curl into a fist and I let a punch fly. Raph wasn't expecting that. My hand hits his face and he falls onto his shell, frozen with shock, eyes wide open. I have never hit him before.

I stand over him, my shadow looming across his plastron like a dark presence and my eyes narrowed into angry, upset slits.

"But I'm not the leader anymore, am I? You took that away from me, and now you're trying to stop me from being friends with Karai. Well you can't. She is my friend and she understands me more than you ever have." My voice is trembling by the end of the sentence, and with nothing else to say, I flee.

I run as far away and as fast as I can. For a while I hear footsteps behind me, but they fade out as I pull ahead. This is my reward for training extra-hard; I can run much faster and far longer than Raph can, even after all I've done today.

I run and run, not sure where I'm going, just anywhere but the Lair or where Raph is. I run from him and all this tension between us and the sick feeling in my stomach. How could he? How could he attempt to take away everything that means something to me? He's my brother, but with a brother like him, who needs enemies?

I round another corner and collaspe against the side of the taller building next door. I'm in one of the poor sectors of the city; one of those rundown collection of cheap apartment buildings that you don't want to be in, even in broad daylight. I'm sweating buckets and my breath is ragged and whezzy. The sweat drips in my eyes and burns them, then runs down my face. I'm not positive that it's just sweat.

"You're pretty fast for a turtle." A female voice says from in front of me. I look up and see Karai. Her eyes widen and she whispers, "Oh." I must look awful.

"Hey Karai." I attempt to sound normal. I fail miserably.

She sits down beside me, close, but not too close. "I couldn't help but overhear." I nod. I understand. I saw her myself.

"So that's one of your brothers, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Raph." My voice is cold and curt, more than I meant to be.

"Hey, no need to be like that!"

"Sorry. I'm just really mad at him right now. He has no idea what it's like being me, yet he's basically trying to destroy my life."

"Ya wanna talk about it?"

I look at her, surprised. "I didn't take you for the type to listen to people's feelings."

"I'm not, but you're no fun when you're down. Plus it might help you."

I sigh. "You're probably right."

"I always am."

I smile a little. "Well, I guess it started right before I met you. We were chasing down this 12- foot tall regenerating weed mutant called Snakeweed that was kidnapping people - "

"Okay, weird hobby, but go on."

"And we corner it in this deadend alley. Raph wanted to charge it, but I decided to take it from above. It was less risky that way. He argues, but follows me. We move to take it out, but it was gone. I guess he went into the sewers or something. So Raph starts harping on me about how I'm a horrible leader and how if we did it his way, we would have won. So we argue and I leave. He has no idea what kind of pressure I'm under to make sure the entire team makes it out alive, none of them do, and all they do is complain. And now Raph has made it his personal mission to become leader instead of me. And I just don't get him!" I half-yell this last part. I'm extremely fed up with Raph. At this moment, I wouldn't care if I never saw him again.

"Calm down. It's not the end of the world."

"Yeah. But yelling helps."

She smirks. "I'm guessing punching him in the face helped a lot too."

"Totally. I may go back and do it again." I smile back at her. For someone who's supposed to be my enemy, she sure can cheer me up.

"So did you really mean what you said?"

"Huh?"

"About me being your friend. Were you serious?"

"Of course, Karai. You're definitely my friend. You're a better friend than Raph, that's for sure. Why does that surprise you?"

"Well, I've never really had a friend. My whole life has revolved around the Foot, and I've learned it's best not to get emotionally attached to anyone in the Clan. Someone who's here today won't necessarily be here tomorrow, especially if they're of low rank."

"Then I will be your first." Of course, I would rather be more than just friends, but it's a good start.

Karai smirks at me, and I feel heat rising to my face. "Friends with the enemy. I'm pretty sure there's irony in there somewhere."

I shrug. "Maybe."

"So what are you going to do for the next few hours? It won't be light 'till 6:30, and I'm guessing you don't want to be back at your sewer hideout until you absolutely have to be."

"Got that right. I don't know. Wanna have a rematch? I believe I was winning when we left off."

She scoffs. "In your dreams, hero boy. I was kicking your shell."

I smile and stand. "Oh, it is so on." I stretch and walk to the other end of the roof. We both draw a sword. I bow, and after a beat, Karai does the same.

"Yaaaah!"

"He-yah!"

Our blades clash and we spar, not as enemies, but as friends.

**Raph lovers, I'm sorry, but he was a jerk in that episode, so that carried over into this, especially after he found out Leo had an interest in a Foot girl. **

**So, yay! They are getting closer, becoming friends. Tell me what you think, PLEASE, and I'll answer any questions as best I can. Hope you liked it. This is probably going to be a three shot or maybe four. I'm kinda playing this by ear, going with the flow. So again, review and I'll see you later! Thanks!**


	3. Interrupted

**Here it is, third installment. Thank you to the eight that have reviewed. Without you, I may have left the story as it is. Still the night Leo and Karai met. Enjoy!**

**We interruppt this previously all Leo POV to bring you a brief Raph POV. Thank you for your cooperation. Enjoy!**

INTERRUPTED

Raph's POV

He hit me.

My hand goes up to my throbbing cheek as I watch Leo speed away faster than I can keep up.

Leo hit me.

I'm still in shock.

Leo hit me.

He has never done that. He has never hit one of us before. He must really be mad. Mad at me.

His parting words are still ringing in my ears.

_"But I'm not the leader anymore, am I? You took that away from me..."_

I never told him. I never told him how lost we were without him, how we got stomped in battle against Snakeweed with his plans and tactics, how I froze up when faced with my first challenge. How much we need him. How much I needed him.

I never told him. Learning about the Foot girl, Karai, had pushed everything else out of my mind.

_"...and now you're trying to stop me from being friends with Karai. Well you can't."_

I still can't believe it. My calm, sensible, level-headed brother has fallen for a girl in the Foot Clan. Appearently they are already friends.

_"She's my friend and she understands me more than you ever have."_

Okay. That hurt. It hurts even more because it's probably true. I don't understand Leo, and I've never made an effort or even appearance to. But Karai seems to, and I'm guessing that's one of the reasons he likes her.

This isn't right. I need to find him. I need to tell him what happened to Mikey, get him home, then try to knock some sense into him. Understanding or not, Leo does not need to be holding hands with the Foot.

But where on earth is he? I doubt he even knows. He's long gone; there's no way to follow him. His T-phone! Donnie said something about having a GPS in them. I whip out my own and call my brother.

"Hey Raph. Any luck?"

"No. You said you can track our phones, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

I roll my eyes. "I want to see how far away from the nearest pizza place I am. I WANT TO TRACK LEO'S, BRAINIAC! Get to it!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh!" Sound of typing on a keyboard. "Okay, he's on the corner of 9th and Virginia, in Beckers. Hmm, that's odd."

"What?"

"His dot keeps moving around. He's staying in the same area, but he's moving all over the place."

"I'll check it out." I hang up before Donnie can say anything. What is Leo doing? Beckers is a rough area of town. Purple Dragon turf. Not someplace you want to go in alone. Why on Earth is Leo there? My best guess? He wasn't looking where he was running.

I make my way over there. I find the spot fairly easy; all I have to do is follow the sound of metal on metal that rings throught the air as I get closer to 9th and Virginia. I climb a tall building and there Leo is. But he isn't alone.

Leo is clashing swords with a girl dressed in black, with silver armor. I take a second to give her a once-over. Tall and slim. Nice, muscular build. Black and yellow hair with several ear piercings. Lots of makeup, all painted in a style that screams, "I'm a villain!". She's pretty, in an evil sort of way. She's smiling as she advances forward on Leo.

Leo is starting to lose this fight, but oddly enough, he's smiling too. Like he's enjoying this and he knows this girl won't hurt him. This must be the infamous Karai.

In a quick graceful sweep of her arms and sword, Karai pins Leo against a building. She holds her sword to his throat, and his own sword prevents him from ducking away. "Looks like you're all out of tricks." She taunts, smirking.

To my surprise, Leo smirks right back, then sweeps Karai's legs right out from under her. He holds his sword to her chest. "Not completely." For once, a decent comeback. He puts his sword away and holds out his hand to help her up. She grasps it, then pulls him down and kicks him in the stomach and flips him over her, somersaulting on top of him as she does. I grudgingly admit to myself it was a pretty slick move, even if she did it by taking advantage of Leo's kindness. Leo lands flat on his shell and Karai's face is inches away from his, her knee on his shell and her sword once again on his neck.

"Nice try. Too bad it didn't work."

"Who says it didn't?" Leo says, then immediately shuts his mouth and starts blushing. He didn't mean to let that slip, I can tell.

To my surprise, instead of slapping him or getting off of him, Karai starts laughing and puts her sword away as well. "Well as you're on the ground and I'm not, I'd say it did fail and you lost."

"I let you win. If I hadn't tried to help you up you would be the one on the ground and -" Leo trys to sound stern, barely concealing a smile. Karai just laughs harder, and Leo finally drops his act and joins her. I have never seen Leo this happy or carefree. For once, he doesn't look like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's different.

It's making me sick, seeing them so close together.

I leap down to their rooftop and startle them both to their feet. "Hey Leo. Gonna introduce me to your new playmate?" I ask sarcastically.

Karai rolls her eyes. "Wow, you're stupider than you look. And I was thinking that was impossible." She's already starting to bug me.

Leo looks like he wants to agree with her, it is pretty obvious who she is, but answers anyway. "Raph, Karai. Karai, Raph."

"So you really are friends with her. Leo, she's bad news. She's in the Foot."

"Brilliant deduction." Karai says in a completely deadpan voice. "Tell me, have you always been this slow or did Leo kill a few brain cells when he punched you?" She's really starting to bug me.

"You told her about that?!" I turn to Leo.

"She saw us. Next time you want to start yelling at me, make sure no one else is around to hear."

"Whatever. Look, you need to come back to the Lair."

"What for? So you can tattle on me?"

"No because the guys need you. Mikey's unconscious."

"What?! What happened?!"

"We went after Snakeweed."

"Without me?! We barely beat him last time and and you went and tried it without me?! That's incredibly stupid!"

"So you've always been this stupid." Karai muses.

I turn to her angrily. "Lady, I don't care who you are. Nobody talks to me like that." My hands drift to my sais.

Her hand travels to her sword hilt. "Well, I just did." I'm about to forget about Leo and just charge her, when Leo sucks in a deep breath and points at something behind me.

"Gonna have to postpone that fight. We've got bigger problems." He draws his swords.

I turn around, guessing I won't like what I see. I'm right.

"I found you turtles." Snakeweed rasps, as evil a grin he can manage on his face.

* * *

Leo's POV

Great. First Raph (how did he even find me?), now Snakeweed. Is two hours of uninterrupted sparring too much to ask? With my luck it seems to be.

At least it's stopped Raph from attacking Karai. I have no doubt Karai can defend herself, but I really don't want to have to come between them. Now, all of Raph's fury is directed at Snakeweed.

"Wow. That thing is wicked." Says Karai. "What did you do to tick it off?"

"It used to be a thug named Snake until he got a dose of mutagen, which he blames us for, even though it was a complete accident."

"Nice going. Unlucky fellow. I mean, of all the things to get mutated into, a weed is pretty lame."

"He can regenerate limbs in seconds and spray poison."

"Okay maybe not so lame."

"Yeah, but I'll feel a lot better when we blow him to a million pieces." Raph says as he backs up to us, Snakeweed stepping closer. He glances at me. "Imnogoodatthisyouretheleaderagainwelcomeback. So what's the plan, fearless leader?"

I feel a trickle of annoyance, but it's drowned out by relief that Raph has handed me back the reins. "Give me a sec - Hey!"

Snakeweed is tired of us backing away. He shoots outs his vines and wraps two around my swords. He yanks them away and throws them to another building. Behind him. I am weaponless.

I search frantically for something, anything. Searching for a plan. A stack of blue barrels on the loading dock of a nearby warehouse catches my eyes. Flashback to Donnie's lab. Donnie explaining to Mikey why he should never, ever, EVER touch them. A plan flashes in my mind. I grab hold of it.

"Raph, Karai, follow me. I've got an idea."

"You're the boss." Raph mumbles as they run with me to the fire escape. We slide down to the ground and I start running to the warehouse. Snakeweed jumps down as well, though, and swings his arm/vine like a whip and knocks us back into the building.

"What now, genius?" Karai asks. She's not impressed so far.

"We charge it." Dead serious.

"Really?" Raph. Surprised.

"Trust me. Let's move." I get off my shell and race towards Snakeweed. He flings his vines at me, but I flip and twirl to avoid them and pounce on him, using his body to propel myself up and kick him in he heart. He stumbles back in pain, and I use this momentary distraction to vault around him. I make a beeline to the canisters while Raph and Karai attack, keeping it busy. I grab two canisters and turn around to see Snakeweed knocked down. I throw one of the canisters at him and it hits his head with a bonk! He turns as I rush him, trying to throw the canister into his mouth. He knocks me back against the pile though, and scatters the canisters away. All but one behind me. Snakeweed grabs me and pulls me close. Too close. Idiot. I pull the canister I had grabbed out from behind my back and shove it into his mouth. I rear back as far as I can and kick the canister deeper into his mouth. He drops me and I land on the ground near Raph and Karai, both still standing.

"Karai!" My voice is hoarse as I point to the canister. "Now!" She looks at the canister, then me, and a look of understanding passes between us. She throws her sword. It pinwheels through the air, light bouncing of its surface in a light show. It hits the canister and the canister explodes, casting its contents over Snakeweed, freezing him instantly.

"Raph!" He grins and charges.

He climbs up Snakeweed like a mountain goat, then jumps up and comes back down, sai posed and ready. "Booyahkasha!" He yells as his sai cuts through Snakeweed like butter, smashing him into dozens of pieces that are scattered throughout the street.

Snakeweed is finished. For now.

"Booyahkasha? What does that even mean?" Karai asks.

Raph shrugs. "No clue. You'd have to ask Mikey, he's the one that started saying it." I hide a grin. I know exactly what it means, which is why I've never said it, and I'm kinda surprised Karai doesn't. It is Japanese. It means blessing and love to the very moment. Yeah, not exactly a battle cry that strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies.

"Thank you Karai. We couldn't have done it without you." I thank Karai.

"No, you couldn't. Though you're not a bad fighter, Red. You're almost as good as your brother."

"A-A-ALMOST?!" Raph sputters.

Karai just smirks at both of us, then gives me a wave, wiggling her fingers tauntingly. "See ya." She jumps up a fire escape and vanishes into the night. I smile in a goofy way, a funny but pleasant feeling bubbling in my stomach. She's so awesome. Ugh, I really do have a crush on her. Is this how Donnie feels all the time around April? I gonna have to cut him some slack in the teasing department.

I turn to Raph. "Let's head home." I say.

"Okay, but on the way I want the whole story."

I sigh and resign myself. "All right. I guess you deserve to know that much." We walk to the manhole cover just down the street, but just before I am about to follow Raph down into the sewers, something catches my eye. There's something glinting in the nearby alleyway. I walk over and break into a grin. It's Karai's sword, the one she throw at Snakeweed. The force of the explosion must have shot it over here. Cool! Something to remind me of her!

"Hurry it up Leo!" Raph, impatient as ever.

"Coming!"

"Whatcha got there?" He asks as I climb down the ladder, suspicious.

"It's Karai's sword. I spotted it in a alley." I can't help but smile as I tuck it in my empty sheath. Crud, I lost my swords on the surface. I'll have to go back for them later.

"Okay, lover boy. Spill. Start at the beginning." I blush at his name calling, but comply. I tell him how we first met, about our first real duel, and how I went April for advice. I leave out the part about the sword and make up a story about Karai wanting a rematch and taking the fight to a skate park. I figure if Raph wants to see this skate park, I'll take him to the one I had found nearby and not told my bro's about. I was going to keep it a secret for when I wanted to be alone, but I would rather tell him about that then my little heist. I tell him it ended in a draw when we heard a police car pulling up and that I started wandering when he showed up.

In a soft, awkward voice, I tell him how I ran away and how Karai found me. I don't tell him what we said, just that she said some things that cheered me up and we had a rematch. My cheeks are burning through this, the entire story really, and it's a relief when I can finally say, "And that's when you showed up again."

Raph has been quiet this entire time, and he's quiet for a couple minutes more after I finish. "Okay. I'll keep your little secret, FOR NOW. But the minute she does something to threaten Mikey, Donnie, Splinter, or our family, I'm telling. Deal?"

"Deal!" Yay! Raph's keeping my secret. I don't know if my story guilt-tripped him or what, but he's keeping my secret! Yes! I could be floating on clouds as we walk back home.

"I'm back Donnie! And I brought someone." Raph calls as we walk into the Lair.

"Leo!" Donnie calls from his place on the couch. Mikey is lying beside him, unconscious. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, just wandering around. How's Mikey?"

Donnie sighs. "Still out of it. I don't get it. He should be awake by now."

Lightbulb moment. "I have an idea. Give me a minute." I run into the kitchen and quickly warm up a slice of pizza. For once the microwave cooperates the first time around and I have a steaming pizza in my hands. I return to the living room and lean over Mikey. I wave the pizza under his nose like smelling salts. For a moment, nothing. Then Mikey took a couple of deep breaths. "Mmmmmmmm. Pepperoni." He slowly sits up.

I smile. "Works everytime."

Raph grabs Mikey shoulders and pulls him into a hug. "Mikey! Don't scare us like that, buddy. We thought we'd lost you."

"Dudes, I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt the stuff in the sewers were made out of - "

"Forget about it Mikey." Donnie cuts him off. "It was just a dream."

Donnie motions for me to keep quiet while Mikey takes the pizza out of my hand. He's munching on it when he looks up at Raph and frowns. "Dude, what happened to your face?" I stiffen. Oh crud. I forgot. I hit Raph. I must have left a bruise.

"We ran into Snakeweed." I say quickly. "He got in a lucky hit, right Raph?"

"Yeah. Lucky hit. But we paid him back big-time." Raph looks a little miffed, but thankfully he doesn't tell.

"Snakeweed? What happened?" I jump in before Raph can answer and give an edited version of what happened. Raph nods along and comments at points, but keeps his word. I don't know why I keep expecting him to blow my cover. Maybe it's just part of keeping a secret. You always fear discovery.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm going to my room. Maybe I can sleep for a couple of hours before training." I half walk, half run to my room and shut the door. I reach into my sheath and pull out Karai's sword. A tanto. Longer than a knife, but shorter then my katanas.

Now where to put it? I could put it on my sword rack, but if my brothers come snooping or Sensei wants to see me, they'd see the sword. In my closet? No, it would get buried under everything, and I actually want to be able to see it. Oh, I got it! I get an old blanket out from under my bed and wrap Karai's sword in it to dull the blade, then stick it under my pillow. Perfect. I can feel its outline, but only when I lay my head done. Hidden in plain sight.

I yawn and pull up the covers. It's been one heck of a night and I have training in 3 hours. Might as well try to get some sleep. As I drift off, my thoughts are full of Karai. Her smile, her graceful movements, her teasing, sly voice. I smile and pray that I see her again soon.

**So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Belongs in the same trash heap as Twilight and The Hunger Games (sorry to burst any bubbles, but they are not that good! And HG is completely unoriganal)? Review people!**

**I have already started on the next chapter, an altered version of The Alien Agenda, basically how it would go down with this ending. After that, well, let's just say, bigger relationship, bigger reaction. Please keep reading!**


	4. There

**Hey, finished chapter 4! Now it is up for your viewing pleasure! I know I said this would be the Alien Agenda and it is, but it's only half of my rewrite. I just thought where I was was a good stopping point. And it gave me a good excuse to be lazy and not write everything that happened between where I left off and the World Wide Genome Project Lab. Anyway, read on faithful follower!**

THERE

**LEO'S POV**  


"And our last story this evening takes place in Tokyo, Japan. Officials were baffled earlier today when a sword resembling the Sword of Tengu arrived at the National Heritage Museum, where the real sword is on display. Upon further inspection of both swords, however, it was determined that the sword on display was a clever fake, and the other was the real one. Mysteriously, the real sword was delivered through UPS with only air mail stamps to indicate where it came from, the earliest one from right here in New York City. Authorities are attempting to trace the package through UPS, but don't consider it likely the lead will pan out.

All of Japan is wondering though, who is the hero who has returned this priceless piece of history to its people, and what will he do next?

This is Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe..."

The announcer does his wrap up and the news cuts to a commercial break. I lean forward and flip the set off, a grin stretching from ear to ear (metaphorically speaking). Hero. I like the sound of that.

It has been a week since I met Karai and the frantic night we spent talking, sparring, fighting weed mutants, and stealing a priceless sword. Yeah. That's right. Karai and I were the ones to steal the sword, and I was the one to mail it to Japan. A modern day Robin Hood. I stole from the thief and gave to the people. A secret Robin Hood, that is. Only Karai knows what I did. Even though I had good intentions, I don't think Master Splinter would be too pleased to hear I was a thief just last week.

Yes, I know stealing is wrong. But I stole from a thief, and I did GOOD. And I have to admit, I did enjoy the rush I got from it. The fear of being caught. The adrenaline that pumped through me during the escape. The feelings of tension and excitement that pulsed through me the entire time. You never feel more alive when you're balancing on a knife blade and one wrong move spells the end, as I learned.

But all that was just a bonus. The main thrill of the night was my partner in crime, Karai. The main reason I agrees to do it in the first place. Though I had only known heed for an hour before the heist, I had already had feelings for her. They only grew stronger as the night progressed. A kiss on the cheek after our daring escape, talking after a fight with Raph, sparring by the light of the moon, and fighting alongside her had fueled those feelings, turning them into a huge crush. I have a crush on a girl in the Foot clan, a group who's entire reason for being here is to hunt down and kill me and my family. Yep. I'm insane. And I love it.

"Leo! Time for patrol!" My brother Raph marches into the (strangely, now that I think about it) deserted main room. He looks at the blank screen that I had been staring at, caught up in my thoughts, than back at me. "You do know that TV is off, right? Or have all those Space Dorks episodes completely fried your brains?"

"I just turned it off." I reassure him. "And it's Space Heroes and my brains are fine."

"That's debatable." He mumbles in a not-so-low tone as I walk past him to my room to grab my swords. Raph also knows about Karai, but thankfully not the Sword of Tengu. He found out from April, who I had sought advice from, and confronted me. After hitting him, running away, and fighting Snakeweed with him and Karai, I finally told him the (edited) whole story. He thinks I'm crazy and Karai is bad news, that she's just trying to close to me so she can exploit me and betray me later. But I know he's wrong. I know Karai, and while she may not be the most trustworthy person on the planet, I know she is sincere about our friendship. I trust her. The rest of my family is in the dark about Karai's existence and I intend to keep it that way, at least for now.

"Leo! Come on! The moon's not getting any lower!" Impatient brother calling.

"Coming!" I shout as I slide my swords into their double sheath and rush to the turnstiles where my brothers are waiting. "I'm here, I'm here."

"Finally." Raph grumbles.

"Are you okay, Leo? You've been acting kind of - distant - lately." Donnie asks, concerned as we walk to the manhole that leads topside.

I smile at him. "I'm fine Donnie. Never been better." I say sincerely. "Now let's hit the surface!" Maybe I'll see Karai tonight.

"All right!" Mikey cheers. "It's ninja time!" He shouts as he rushes up the ladder. I roll my eyes jokingly, smiling at my little brother's newest catchphrase as I follow him up.

* * *

The city has been quiet so far tonight. No sign of the Foot or the Kraang or any mutants. There has also been no sign of Karai, which I have mixed feelings about. But patrol is almost over. Maybe I can sneak away and search for her. If I'm lucky, maybe we can spar a little.

"Hey, it's the Kraang!" Donnie cries out, pointing to an alley below us. I almost groan. Crud. I jinxed it. But I shove my disappointment aside and concentrate at the situation at hand. The Kraang, about 20 of them, have cornered a women, in her early thirties by the look of her, in an alley. I'd bet my shell she's a scientist. The Kraang are getting bolder. They aren't even wearing their human disguises; you can clearly see the alien inside the robot body. The woman is screaming her head off; she's terrified. We have to help her.

I give the signal and we descend to the alley, but stay in the shadows. Seeing us would probably freak the woman out even more. I throw a shuriken at the nearest bot and down it goes.

"Kraang, go check in the place that is known as the shadows in the place that is known as over there where the thing that is known as the weapon came from." One of the Kraang bots says. Another robot walks right to us. Raph punches it and decapitates the metal head. It spins like a top out into to the light.

"Kraang, concentrate all fire on the place that is known as shadows." The head robot says. They all turn and start firing at the shadows. They really are horrible shots. None of the plasma bolts even come close to us, AND they aren't even looking at the women. She has a clear path.

"Go! Get away from here! Run and don't look back!" I yell. The women nods and runs past the Kraang to the streets. Good. She's gone. Now the battle can begin.

"Let's go!" I shout and we launch into action. It's almost too easy. The Kraang are horrible fighters. Their only advantage lies in numbers, but we still plow through them like they're nothing.

I don't know what makes me look up. Maybe I felt a presence, or I feel eyes tracking my moments. Whatever the reason, I look up and there she is. Karai. I smile at her, making eye contact, then turn back to the battle. My brothers are still working on the Kraang, there's about 6 Kraang droids left. I get an idea and my smile turns into a smirk.

I run off, pouncing on one and destroying it and its gun, then jump between Raph and the Kraang he's fighting.

"I'll save you Raph." I say in my best hero voice as I slice the robot into pieces.

"You'll save - !" I hear him shout indignantly as I move on to the next, running up and pushing off the wall into impressive somersaults before taking out another Kraang. I jump another, tied up by Mikey, and slice it in two while I somersault down to the ground.

"Relax Mikey. You're safe now." I tell him before racing to the last two.

"Thanks! Wait, I was fine?" I hear Mikey say in a confused voice behind me. For a moment, I feel a little silly, but I look back up at Karai, and I continue.

Donnie's fighting two with his bo staff. "Donnie! Behind you!" He whirls around and comes face to face with... the wall. I slice up the droids, then backflip several times, then somersault as high as I can, landing on my feet. I sheath my swords and smirk as I make eye contact with Karai. She cocks her head and although I can't see her mouth, I have a feeling she's smirking right back. Suddenly she turns around and flees. I stare after her for a couple of seconds with a strong urge to follow her, before Donnie's voice pulls me back down to earth.

"Uh, what the heck was that?"

"Yeah, are you trying to impress us?" Mikey accuses. "Cause it totally worked!" He hugs me and I push him off.

Raph narrows his eyes at me. Uh-oh.

Donnie notices as well. "What is it, Raph?"

"I thought I saw something. Did you see something Leo?" He asked pointedly. I narrow my eyes back. He saw her too. But what's he doing? What happened to keeping my secret?

"No." I say tensely.

"Turtles first, right?" What is he playing at?

"Turtles first." I say shortly. We continue staring at each other though slitted eyes.

"Do you get the feeling that we're missing something?" I hear Donnie ask Mikey, confused.

"All the time." Mikey says, completely serious.

I blink, turn away from Raph, and start marching to the nearest manhole cover. "Time to head back. Let's go." I hear 2 sets of footsteps following me, then a third join them.

* * *

I try to head my room as soon as we make it to the Lair, but Raph stops me and pulls me into the dojo.

"What the shell were you doing?" He cuts straight to the chase.

"I don't what you're talking about." I try to brush him off, but he refuses to let go.

"Don't even try to deny it. I saw her too. The Foot was watching us and all you did was show off, showing exactly how we fight."

"Not the Foot, Karai!" I correct angrily.

"Karai is the Foot."

"No she's not, and she's already seen me fight, remember? And what happened to keeping my secret? You almost told Donnie and Mikey!"

"No, I hinted. And Donnie and Mikey won't find out about your precious little crush from what I said." He pauses, then corrects himself. "Mikey won't figure it out from what I said. And I said I wouldn't tell. I never said I liked it. Leo, she's just using you."

"No she's not! Quit acting like you know her!"

"I do know her, and she's an evil goth chick with issues! She's going to turn on you, Leo. You're just too blind to see it." My hands are once again clenched into fists. How dare he speak about her that way!

He notices my stature. "What, going to hit me again? That witch is already changing you, and hitting me won't change the truth."

My anger fills me up. I can literally feel it course through me at his words. She is not evil! Yes, she's in the Foot, but there is good in her. He's just too blind and prejudice to see that!

I am trembling from holding in my rage. Why is it that lately Raph seems to know all the right buttons to push to make me furious? I'm usually able to let it wash over me and keep calm, and I certainly shouldn't be getting angry over him insulting a Foot, but it feels like he is attacking me to the very extreme when he attacks Karai.

Raph notices my shaking form. "Uh, Leo, are you all right?" For the first time, his confident angry mask slips away to revel an unsure one of concern and fear.

I stalk out of the dojo in a speedwalk. I ignore my other brothers and stop in front of the punching dummy. I reel back, then let all my anger transfer into a single kick. "Hyah!" The chain snaps and the dummy goes flying across the room. I pant angrily and snort like a riled up bull.

"Whoa!"

"Leo! What - "

"Leo?!"

"Leonardo?" Great, even Sensei saw my little episode. What is wrong with me? Why am I no longer a stone, letting the river of insults wash over me? Karai has changed me. She means so much that I got angrier than I have been in a very long time when Raph insulted her.

"Leo?"

"Leonardo?"

I - I need to leave. Regain my cool. Calm myself and find my Chi.

"I need some air." I run out of the Lair, dashing away from the stares of my family and making for the surface.

"Raphael, what is wrong with Leonardo?" I hear Sensei behind me.

"I wish I knew Sensei. I wish I knew." Raph's voice echoing is the last thing I hear before I am out of earshot.

I rush up to the rooftops and start running once more. I clear my mind of everything, like when I meditate, and just concentrate on my feet stabbing the concrete every step of the way.

Slowly but surely, my anger fades away. When I no longer feel the sharp sting of fury, I slow down and allow some thought to drift back into my brain.

I overreacted. There was no call for me to blow up. Yes, Raph insulted the girl I have a crush on, but that was no excuse for the level of anger I felt.

He kind of had a point. Karai was changing me, just not the way Raph thought. I have never felt the way I feel now before I met her. I have never felt that mix of delight and nervousness and excitement and thrill before, and I love the way the emotion feels when it runs through me and makes me feel tingly and I love the tight knot in my stomach that's painful in a good way. Raph doesn't know how she makes me feel, and that's why he will never get it, and why he will only see my anger when he insults her. He doesn't know the happiness she brings me by just being in my thoughts or the pleasure sparring or showing off to her inspires. I feel so different around her than when I'm with April or my brothers, and Raph will never understand that.

* * *

**KARAI'S POV**

I walk back to Foot headquarters, climbing in through the window instead of coming through the door. It may be slightly more difficult, but not when you're a highly trained kunoichi, and it's actually quicker.

An odd scene greets me when I crawl through the hole in the glass on the top floor. Xever is out of his fish tank and on robotic legs. Legs he seems to have no control over. They're dragging him all over the room in a quick jog or a forced march. Bradford is watching in absolute mirth, banging on the floor and laughing while the geek scientist we hired, Stockman, is banging on some kind of control panel. I'm guessing it's was causing Xever's trouble with his new legs.

Stockman finally manages to shut the machine just as Shredder, or Father, take your pick, walks up behind him. From the tone of his voice, he has seen the whole thing and is not happy. Stockman starts to stammer out an explanation, but Father cuts him off and starts to threaten him. If he doesn't show promising results soon he'll cut off his legs, you'll wish the turtles had gotten you, blah, blah, blah. I roll my eyes. New town, new flunkie scientist, same old threats. Father should really let up on Stockman, though, at least a little. I have seen what he can do and though he is completely pathetic, he is invaluable with his knowledge of technology. I know for sure we can't build anything like this.

I put Stockman out of his misery and flip down to the ground floor. "Father, we spotted the turtles fighting robots in some backstreet alley. But they were controlled by these slimy alien brain things inside."

"Your mission is to destroy the turtles and hunt down Hamato Yoshi. Everything else is a distraction." Father growls.

"Distraction? Father, don't you want to know what's going on? Splinter's deciphals are turtles! Mutants! Your own men got turned into hideous freaks!" I cry, pointing at said hideous freaks."Don't you think we should be trying to figure out what's going on? I mean there's more to life than your vendetta."

"There is nothing more!" Oops. I've gone too far.

"Don't you remember what Hamato Yoshi did to me?" He circles around behind me. "To us?" He continues in that same intimidating voice. I do not remember the last time he spoke in any other, actually.

"Everyday he lives is a stain on our honor we must wipe clean." He walks away from me. "Stay focused on your mission, Karai."

"I understand. Father." I walk out, taking the roof again. So Father refuses to investigate the aliens. He dismisses them because they are not connected to his vendetta. But I have a feeling they are not good, for any of us. I need to learn more, but how?

A faint grin touches my lips. Leo. He seems to know a lot about them, and as my friend he should hopefully tell me.

I feel a twinge of surprise when I realized what I had called Leo. I called him a friend. I know he said we were friends before, but this is the first time I've actually accepted it. What I told him was true; I have never had a friend before. My father is infamous in Japan, which wards away people at school, and people come and go all the time in the Foot clan, so it's easier to stay detached from everyone. But Leo. He's different. He is not in the Foot, so he won't disappear, and he doesn't know just how close to Shredder I am.

He confuses me. Why does he want to be friends with me? We're on the opposite sides of a war, yet he is polite and kind to me. He truly acts like he wants to and likes being my friend. But why? I shake my head. It doesn't matter why. All that matters is that he does and I accept it. Now I just have to find him.

* * *

After an hour of scouring the city, I find him sitting on a ledge, staring at the skyline. "Anything interesting out there?" I say in a loud voice from behind.

He doesn't even flinch and without missing a beat he says, "The city. It's beautiful all lit up." I sit down near him and look at the skyscrapers decked in gold and white and the splashes of red, blue, green and other colors. There is something pretty about it at night, something that Tokyo doesn't convey to me, but no way I'm going to say that.

I snort. "This is nothing. You should see Tokyo."

He smiles sadly at me and shakes his head. "I wish I could." Oh. Right. It may seem stupid, but I forget Leo isn't human. He acts just like one, so I forget he's actually a mutant.

"I'll send you a postcard." I joke.

He chuckles softly. "Looking forward to it already."

"So what're you doing out here so late?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Yeah, but I asked you first." He chuckles again and the sound sends a shiver down my spine.

"If you must know, and I suspect you do, I had another fight with Raph and staying underground was not an option." I blink, surprised. He would tell me that?

"Now what's your excuse?"

"I saw some weird robots earlier this evening and some green mutant take them out. Thought you might know what their deal is."

"Their deal is they're incredibly dangerous. Stay away from them." He warns me.

"I like them already. Something is going on. What is it?"

He sighs. "Karai, I'm not kidding. They're bad news. They may be horrible shots, but there are many of them. They shouldn't be taken lightly."

"Okay, at least tell me who "they" are."

"They are the Kraang. They're aliens from another dimmension."

"What are they doing here then?"

"That's the million dollar question. We don't know besides snatching scientists and mutating things."

Crud. I thought for sure that Leo would know something about these Kraang, but apparently not.

"Why are you in the Foot?" Leo's voice catches me off guard and it is a moment before my brain comprehends what he's saying.

"What?"

"Why are you in the Foot?" He asks again, a little more nervous.

"Because it's fun." I smirk at him, but he just frowns.

"What about your life back in Japan? School? Your parents? You just dropped it all to trek over here to New York with Shredder?"

"I'm homeschooled." I snap. "And my mother is dead and my father... was never around." Not exactly a lie. It never feels like my father is with me and he was always away on business.

"Oh." Leo looks shocked and guilty. "Karai, I - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry about your mother. I - sorry." He finishes lamely.

I sigh and stare back out at the city. "It's okay. I just wish I had had a chance to know her. She died when I was a baby."

Leo looks even more guilty for bringing it up. "Oh. I'm sorry Karai."

There is a lump in my throat and my vision blurs. No. I won't cry in front of Leo. I try to control myself, but sadness still overwhelms me. I do not think about my mother often, so when I do, it feels like a truck hit me.

Leo is leaning forward and looking at me. I turn away, trying to hide my emotions, but Leo is (curse him) very perceptive. He slowly reaches an arm up, wraps it around my waist, and pulls me close into in a hug, wrapping his other arm around me to touch his own.

"I'm sorry Karai. I know I can't understand exactly how you feel as I never had a mother, but I know I would feel awful if my Sensei or one of my brothers passed on. But I'm sure she loved you very much and is watching over you now. She will be with you always." He whispers in my ear in his calm, gentle voice. I feel tears escape and roll down my cheek as I lean in on him. Why can Leo draw emotions out of me? I have not cried in years, but after 5 minutes with Leo, I have broken down.

He is warm. This surprises me. Turtles are cold-blooded, but Leo is quite warm and cozy. I can hear his heartbeat as I lay my head on his upper plastron. He tenses slightly at the contact, but then relaxes and holds me a little tighter. Time fades away. All I can feel is the warmth of his body against mine as he hugs me and the beat of his heart. Slow and steady. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom. This moment lasts an eternity and an hour more. I have never felt more vulnerable, yet I have also never felt so safe.

"You don't have to do this." Leo's voice shatters the limbo I've been hanging in. I lift my head and lean away to look at him, his arms falling back to his own sides.

"What?"

"You don't have to stay in the Foot. You can leave. It's not the only option. You could just walk away."

He looks so sincere and earnest and naive, I have to laugh. "You're adorable." Where did that come from?! "Stupid, but adorable." I add in a rush, hoping my insult will drive what else I said from his mind.

No such luck. "R-r-really? Ya-you think I'm - " he stammers, his face turning pink and his lips twisting into a strange smile.

"I can't leave. It's complicated. I have a... commitment." I cut him off.

"But - "

"I can't. I have a duty to Shredder." Why is he so insistent?

He sighs. "I won't be able to change your mind anytime soon, will I?"

"What made you think you ever could?" I taunt.

"Fine. But Karai, if you ever come after my brothers, I don't care what obligation you have to Shredder. I will fight you, for real. Hear me?"

I smirk at his bravado and stand up. "Loud and clear."

I run to the opposite edge of the roof and jump to the next, then the next, then the next until Leo's rooftop is just a speck in the distance. Time to head home. It is rather late.

* * *

2:30 am.

I have been lying in my bed for over an hour, but sleep will not come. I roll over once more and make a futile attempt to think of nothing and drift off. Instead, like it has been for the last hour, Leo's face fills my mind. His adorably naive, caring smile, his beautiful, stormy, azure blue eyes, and that cute sheepish look on his face he gets when I tease him. The sound of his laughter is still ringing in my ears, and I can still feel the warmth and security of his arms around me.

What is wrong with me? I'm thinking in Leo in terms of beautiful and cute, and I can't STOP thinking about him. I can't stop thinking about how kind and polite and caring and adorable and insanely brave and delightfully bashful and sweet and skillful at ninjitsu and funny he is. I remember how he showed off for me and how much I actually enjoyed it and how I was actually impressed. He's so loyal and strong and...

I review my thoughts of the last couple of minutes. Ugh, I sound like a lovesick puppy.

It hits me right then. Hard. I have a crush. I HAVE A CRUSH ON LEO. Oh God. No. It can't be. But the more I think about, the more I realize it's true. I have a crush on Leo.

I groan and shove my head deep into my pillow. Great. I have a crush on my sworn enemies deciphal. Better start loading up on poison, Juliet. Oh, and warn Romeo to keep his dagger sharp.

**So? What do you think? Was Karai too OOC? For the love of all things decent, PLEASE REVIEW! It's what keeps me going and inspires me to battle the fiend known as writers block to create this story!**

**Up next, my rewrite of the WWGP scene, or rather, what happened afterwards. Until next time, Katana over and out!**


	5. Beginning

**Hey, I'm back on this very special (to me) day! Here is the fifth chapter of We Are. Please enjoy. **

**MY FIRST DISCLAIMER (because I've been too lazy to do it before): I do not own TMNT or any of the movies mentioned.**

**_BEGINNING_**

**KARAI'S POV**

I pushed a button. That may not seem like a huge deal, but it was. At the push of that button, the colored fluid in the large containers around me, which I had learned from the turtles was DNA, drained into the huge batch of mutagen in the center of the lab. The colors swirled and started clumping together into a huge bunch, creating something, somehow.

Green smoke hisses out of the container, blanketing the floor. A black tentacale flops out if the mess with a squish, then disappears. A sucking, oozy sound, and a Kraang droid drops. Another noise, and another Kraang goes. I back away from the control panel to Leo's side, wondering what it was I just created. My foot hits something, and I look down. An Kraang bot, minus the Kraang. Perfect. Exactly what I came for.

The smoke parts, and I am distracted by my monster. It's - it's -

"Awwww! It's so cute!" The orange masked turtle coos. He's right. Even though it's a freak of nature, something about its enormous eyes and floppy ears give it a cute appearance. Not as cute as a certain mutant I know, but pretty cute.

The... thing cocks its head at us, as if it knows what we're thinking, then stretches its head up... and up... and up! Its eyes go out on stalks and its huge mouth opens as it lets out a terrible scream. It waves its tentacles and starts destroying Kraang, like I had hoped it would. It is no longer cute in any way, shape or form.

"Whoa, that is wicked!" I gasp, before remembering the droid at my feet and grabbing it.

"How the heck am I going to name this?" The orange one complains, gesturing at the mishmash of animal in front of us.

I roll my eyes as I lift the bot onto my back. "Good question." I say sarcastically. "Well, see ya." I move to leave, but a hand on my upper arm stops me. They pull me around to face them. It's Leo, of course.

"Aren't you going to help us beat this thing? You created it!" He sounds angry with me, and I bite my lip.

"I would love to, but I really have to go. I'll tell you later."

"No. EXPLAIN NOW." His grip tightens on my arm. My patience, and my time, is running out.

"Leo, I'm trying to help you, and your brothers, but to do that I have to leave now! Please let me go! Trust me!"

He looks taken aback for a second. This isn't what he expected to hear. He thinks for a second, then nods. "Okay, I trust you." He lets go off my arm. "But I want a very good explanation!"

I'm frozen in place for a second, shocked at his words even though they are what I wanted to hear, then smile at him and start running. "Meet at the Byerly Building tonight." I call over my shoulder. I see him nod, then charge into battle against the mutant.

I smirk, then crawl out of the building. I leap the rooftops as fast as I can, aiming straight for the abandoned church Shredder's been using as his base (ironic when you think about it), the empty droid bouncing against my back every step of the way.

* * *

**LEO'S POV**

I lean against the fire escape, standing away from my brothers, staring out at the burning building below. I smell the smoke and can feel the heat of the flames even from here. I listen to the symphony of sirens as fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars pull up to investigate. For a minute, I toy with the idea of the police finding a Kraang, or some of their tech or something that would indicate WWGP's true nature. But I dismiss it. The Kraang are too good for that.

I can feel my brothers stares burning a hole in my shell. They are waiting for me to explain the mysterious girl that two of us knew. I should explain. But I don't know what to say. I don't know everything yet. I don't know where to begin, or what I should say to defend myself and Karai.

"So..." Mikey starts. I wince. It begins.

"We're thinking someone should start talking." Donnie finishes, sounding more than a little ticked off. I remember what he said during our fight with the mutant Mikey had named Justin. 'I don't know who she is, but I know I hate her!'

I sigh. "I can't. I - I can't explain it. Not yet." I really can't. I don't have all of the pieces yet.

"Leo!" Unsurprisingly, it's Raph. "You can't be serious. She almost killed us and you're still protecting her?! What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me Raph. She has a reason for what she did."

"Then let's hear this magical reason."

A drop of sweat rolls down my forehead. "I don't know it, yet. She said she would meet me later tonight and tell me then."

"Leo," Raph rolls his eyes, looking thoroughly exasperated. "She was lying to you so you would let her go and you fell for it."

"She wasn't lying. I know when someone lies to me and she was telling the truth."

"Leo - "

"Raph, she told me to trust her and I do. That should be good enough for you." I turn away from him and my bewildered brothers. Why doesn't Raph trust ME to know what I'm doing?

"Sorry Leo, there is no way in shell I will ever trust a Foot."

I narrow my eyes. "How many times do we need to argue about this? She's not the Foot!" Something stirs inside me. Anger.

"Really? Could have fooled me. She acts like one, dresses like one, fights like one! What more does she need?"

I can't take much more of this without blowing up. "I'll see you guys later." I try to escape to go see Karai, to hear what she has to say, but Raph grabs me.

"No way Leo! That girl is bad news! She's brainwashing you and you don't even realize it! She'll just lie to you and mess you up even further!"

"I am not brainwashed or messed up and I am going to give her a change to explain. Let. Go." My voice is hard and cold, yet a undercurrent of anger clearly heard. My brothers are shocked at my tone. So am I.

Raph is taken aback for a second, but regains his resolve quickly."No."

"Let go of me Raphael." The same icy, fiery tone.

"No Leo. You shouldn't be anywhere near that witch." Witch?!

The now familiar feeling of anger bubbles and churns in my chest. It pumps through my veins and rocks me to my core. The control I have had over my emotions all these years is gone. The seal has broken, been broken by Karai, and now everything bursts forth. All the anger, sadness, annoyance, and just plain fury I have pushed deep down over the years splashes over me like a wave. Is this how Raph feels all the time? Like he is drowning in anger? I breath in and out, trying to calm down, (there is no reason to be this angry) but I can't.

"Leo? Are you okay?" Mikey asks fearfully, afraid of my response. I breath a bit more. The anger fades. Slightly. Not enough. I'm still mad.

"I'm fine, Mikey. Or at least, I will be, if Raph lets me go before I explode."

"Not a chance Leo." His grip on my arm tightens. It hurts, I vaguely register.

"Raph, I mean it."

"So do I." This is pointless. Completely and totally pointless. He won't give in, but neither will I. I need to go and there is no way Raph is stopping me.

"Then... I'm sorry." I apologize. I barely see the look of surprise on his face before I punch him for the second time in my life. He staggers back into my gaping brothers.

My anger fades, disappears. Punching Raph allowed me to vent my feelings. Now all I feel is regret I had to hit him to make him let go, and an urgent need to leave, for more than one reason.

"I have to go." I look at my brothers, all still in shock that calm Leo actually punched his brother, then leap off the fire escape. I run and don't look back, my vision focused on the skyscraper in the distance.

She'd better have an absolutely fantastic explanation.

* * *

**KARAI'S POV**

It has been 27 minutes since I left the lab. It has been 21 minutes since I gave the Kraang to Shredder and Stockman. It has been fourteen since I left the headquarters. It has been nine since I got here. I had expected Leo to be waiting for me, but there's no sign of him.

I would never admit, but I'm getting a little worried. Maybe the mutant was tougher than I had first guessed. What if it... did... something to him?

Calm down Karai. Leo is a perfectly capable ninja and he had backup. He's fine. Just a little late, that's all.

Unconsciously, I start pacing. Where is he?

A small thump behind me. I smile.

"I was beginning to think you were a no-show." I turn around.

He smirks. "Cute." Cute?! He called me cute?! Oh get it together, Karai.

"So how'd it go? Did Orange ever give the thing a name?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. He decided to call it Justin."

I snort. "Justin? Really?"

"Better than his other idea."

"Which was?"

"Octo Eyeball Jelly Bug." It proves impossible for him to say that with a straight face.I flat out laugh.

"I would've gone with Justin too."

Leo smiles at me, then lets it shrink away as his expression turns serious. "Okay Karai, tell me I had a good reason for defending you against my brothers, punching Raph again, and letting you go."

"You punched him again?" I blink in shock. "For me?"

"Well, he wasn't going to let me come and I had to get him to let go somehow. And quit changing the subject. Why did you leave us to clean up your mess?"

"I was trying to get Shredder off your guys' tails." A sudden thought. "Do you guys have tails? I mean, normal turtles do and -"

"Karai."

"Right, right, I'll save it for later. At first, I was just curious about what the Kraang were up to when I started following you guys. But then I realized that Shredder might find the technology useful. Useful enough to turn some of his efforts away from hunting you guys down and towards the Kraang. But I needed to prove that usefulness to him. Then I remembered Xever."

"Xever?" One side of Leo's mask goes up, like he's cocking an eyebrow. "What does he have to do with the Kraang?"

"When he mutated, he lost his legs, and therefore any usefulness to Shredder. But we recently hired this pathetic excuse for a mad scientist, Stockman, to build him legs and a way to breath on land."

"You've got Spockton, I mean Stockman working for the Foot too? What, does Shredder put help wanted ads in the paper or something?" Leo asks, exasperated.

I chuckle. "Not exactly. Anyway, Stockman has been having trouble with the control panel or something like that. So I figured if I could get tech that helped him out, Shredder would realize the Kraang are worth looking into, and concentrate some of his forces on them. That's that many forces not looking for you and your brothers or planning some dastardly crime for you to foil. And it worked. Shredder is now very interested in the Kraang."

Leo looks at me surprised. "You - you did all that for me?"

"I didn't do that much. And what kind of person would I be if I let my only friend get hunted down after only a week? I have to wait at least a month before I let that happen." I joke around, blowing off his question.

The corners of his mouth twitch into a smile. "Still, thank you Karai. It means a lot to me and my family. Maybe they'll stop thinking you're totally evil when I tell them." He takes a step closer to me.

"They're probably right. I'm no saint." I try to shrug it off, but for some reason, those words affect me. 'Totally evil.'

"Karai, there's good in you. I've known that from the start, and you've just proved it." He takes another step and so do I.

"What do you mean?"

"You just did something completely selfless to help a friend. That's good in my book. And I'm sorry for doubting you."

I shake my head. "You were right to be wary. I'm sure it looked extremely bad, creating a monster, then leaving you guys to fight it."

"Good thing I trust you then." I smile at him, not smirking for once.

"Thank you, Leonardo, for trusting me." He smirks at my formality.

"You're quite welcome, Miss Karai." He bows low. When he lifts his head back up, I realize how close we are. We've been drifting towards each other during the entire conversation, like magnets. There are only a few inches between us now, and his stormy blue eyes seem larger and more striking then ever before. They are of an endless depth, smart and kind and caring. There's something else there, something tender and quiet, but real.

I lean in closer and he mirrors me. I haven't noticed before, but we are the exact same height, Leo maybe a smidge shorter than me. I am going to kiss him. It comes to me just then. I am going to kiss Leonardo. And so I do.

I lightly, ever so gently press my lips to his larger mouth. It feels... normal. Like any other guy on Earth's. His mouth feels human, just bigger than normal. His eyes open wide with shock, then shut blissfully as he kisses me back and I shut mine as well. He even presses back, adding his force to meet mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him even closer then before. I feel a large arm around my waist and another wrapped around my shoulders, cupping the small of my back.

He isn't bad, I giddily think as our lips open and close and smash into each other with care. He's a pretty good kisser, considering this is his first time.

My hand creeps up to cup his head, my fingers tangling in his mask tassles. He follows my lead and one hand is braided into my short hair. We are swaying, I register. Swaying and leaning back and forth into one another, almost like a dance. A dance I never want to end. I have kissed other guys before, but none like Leo. None I've actually felt this strongly about.

But eventually the dance does end. I do have to breath, even if turtle boy doesn't. I pull away and suck in air. He leans in a little, then opens his eyes and realizes I'm gone. He stands up straight and blushes a deep red. I giggle a little and he goes even redder and starts rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh, um, th-thanks." He stutters out.

"You're welcome hero boy." I smile at him, amused by his reaction.

"So... um... what now?" His blush won't be going away anytime soon.

"I don't know." I think. "How about a movie?"

"Uh, kinda can't Karai. Mutant turtle." He gestures to himself.

"Don't worry. I have a plan." I grab his hand...

* * *

...and lead him across town to this 24 hour movie theater I frequent. We land on the roof and I show him a vent duct. I pry the grill off and crawl inside. "Come on Leo."

He looks hesitant. "Isn't this stealing? I mean, we're cheating the movie out of it's money."

"Come on Leo, how else will you get to see it? And teens do this all the time. As long as you pay to get through the front door, they don't care how many movies you see. Sneaking in is the easiest thing in the world."He chews on it.

I sigh. "Leo, please. I'll pay for three tickets next time I come, okay? Or do you just not want to go out with me? Because you could just say something."

He blushes. "Th-this is a date?"

"Well, we just kissed and now we're going to the movies, so what would you call it?"

"A - A date."

"Exactly. And do you really want to be going home earlier than you have to?"

He sighs. "No, not really. All right, I'm game. The sun rises at 6:47 though. I have to be underground by then."

"Perfect. Enough time for two movies. And guess what's starting in 7 minutes?"

He smiles and rolls his eyes. "Knowing you, something gory and/or actiony "

"How does The Avengers sound?" I smirk.

His eyes widen and a huge, silly grin stretches across his face. "No way! Really?! I've been dying to see that!"

"Well then." I crawl into the duct and hear Leo follow me close behind.

This isn't the first time I've sneaked into a movie this way. I've done it a lot, actually. This theater is absolutely perfect. The theater is old and huge rafters crisscross the ceiling, with more than enough room to sit comfortably on.

Peeking through vents, I find the room that was showing the movie (the room with the most people crammed in), and wave Leo over. We crawl to a rafter in the center and settle against a post just in time for the previews. Nothing catches my eye, and soon the movie begins.

I didn't expect to like a movie about superheroes so much, but I actually get really into it. The jokes are hilarious and the action scenes are intense. The plot is complex, yet easy to follow.

About halfway through the movie, I lean against Leo. He immediately wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I'm surprised he didn't yawn to cover it up. I smirk. He's getting more confident.

Almost too soon, the movie ends and the lights flicker on. Leo and I scurry into the ducts, and I lead him to another theater with the commercials playing.

"What did you think?" I ask him as we find a new rafter to hang out on.

"That was awesome! It's my new favorite movie!" He flashes me that cute goofy grin.

"Black Widow was the best Avenger."

He smirks. "I figured you say that. Captain America is the best, though."

"No way. Black Widow could beat him any day."

"Uh, indestructible shield and army training and super powers."

"KGB and years of experience and a gun."

"Okay, truce. They'd tie." He holds up his hands in mock surrender.

"May-be." I tease.

"Iron Man is definitely the funniest though."

"Agreed. 'That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did!'"

Leo laughs at my impression. "So what movie is this?"

"I believe it's - " The screen turns from an ad for Coke to a rapidly growing island and a voiceover.

"This is Berk."

"- How To Train Your Dragon." I finish.

He cocks his head at me. "Didn't take you for a Dreamworks fan."

I shrug. "Not really, but unless you want to see Letters to Juliet..."

"No no! This is fine!" He hurries to say, then turns his attention back to the screen. I smirk. That's what I thought he'd say. Animated movie or chessy romantic comedy? Not much of a compation.

I feel a hand snake down my arm and grasp my own, effectively enveloping mine, strong yet gentle. I lean against him and smile.

"And by the way," he whispers in my ear, "I would love to go on a date with you."

I have been on dates before, both on and off duty, but like the kiss, none have been like this or felt this right. It's different, watching the movie from the rafters, leaning against a shell instead of a chest, this entire thing really, but I like it, and I like Leo, and I like where my relationship with him is going. I like it a lot.

**So what did you think? Personally I think it could be better, especially the kiss scene, but until I get expirence (which won't be any time soon), I won't update that part. REVIEW! OR I'LL SIC RAPH ON YOU!**

**Okay, so Leo and Karai are both extremely happy. Enjoy it while it lasts, because the next chapter is *thunder rumbling* THE REACTION CHAPTER!**

**You know the rules! I'm going with the flow on this one, so i have no clue what will happen! More reviews though equals faster updates!**

**Unmasked fans; I'm so sorry, but the next chapter has been the death of me and many pencils.**

**Have a magical day!**


	6. Forbidden

**Sixth chapter! I'm so excited! To recap, Leo and Karai kissed, then went to the movies on a date! Yay!**

**Okay, slightly off topic, I was coming home from my grandparents house a couple of weeks ago and we had to cut through this small town and we passed a pizza shop called Turtleini's, NOT KIDDING! There was a turtle in a chefs's hat on the sign and it was adorable and I immediately thought of TMNT.**

**And I went to see Captain America 2 and the two main superheroes were Capt. (of course) and BLACK WIDOW! So I was sqeauling on the inside because all I could think of was my last chapter.**

**Anyway, excuse my rambling and enjoy!**

FORBIDDEN

LEO'S POV

I wish the night could last forever. I wish sunlight would never start trickling over the horizon. I wish I would never have to go back underground and face Raph and Master Splinter. I wish I could just hang out at the movies on my date with KaraI.

You don't alway get what you wish for. You almost never do, and this is one of those times.

Hours after I ran away from my brothers on the fire escape, the sun starts to rise. No matter how much I would love to avoid going underground, staying up on the surface is not an option. Not unless I want to be seen. I quickly exchange goodbyes with Karai, then make for the nearest manhole cover.

6:48 AM. I am walking through the sewers back home, not sure how I will explain everything. But Raph has probably already told Master Splinter. Told him how I am friends with a girl in the Foot. How I want to be more than just friends. How I hit him. Twice.

The fact he doesn't know about the kiss is only a small comfort.

It is too much to hope that the main room will be empty. Of course it's not. Waiting for my arrival are Mikey, Donnie, and Raph. Mikey and Donnie have slightly stunned expressions. Raph has a bruise again.

I say nothing and wait for them to talk first.

"Sensei wants to see you in the dojo." Mikey says softly.

I nod and head to the door. I poke my head around the corner and see Master Splinter in his meditative pose. I walk over to him, bow, and sit down before him.

"Leonardo, what have you been up to this last week?"

"Sensei I - wait, hasn't Raph already told you?"

"Raphael has told me what he knows, but I wish to hear the story from your perspective."

"Well Sensei, about a week ago, I - I meet a girl. Her name is Karai, and she's my, um, best friend. But she's kind of in the Foot."

I pause, trying to think of anything to make that sound better. I can't. I move on.

"I met her on a rooftop where she overtook me. I was helpless, but she let me go. I saw her again later that night and we dueled. She's really good, actually. It ended in a tie and she asked me to meet her on a certain highrise. I did, and we had a rematch that was cut short."

I use the same story I use with Raph. I didn't tell Raph about the sword and I'm certainly not telling Sensei.

"Later, I was wandering the city when Raph found me. I had seen April for - advice on what to do and she told Raph when he came looking for me. Raph was furious with me for being friends with a girl in the Foot and started ragging on me for it, saying how evil she was and who she was just trying to get close so she could kill me and what a monster she was. But he hadn't even met her, Sensei. He had no right to judge. He kept going on and on and it - it ticked me off. I told him to stop and tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me go. I got mad and lost control. He had pushed my buttons too many times for one day, and I lost it. I hit him, not Snakeweed. I ran and Karai found me again. She cheered me up, sort of, and we sparred a bit more. Raph found us, and so did Snakeweed. Karai helped us take him down, Sensei. Later, I made Raph promise not to tell."

Master Splinter sighs. "And what of the events of the past two days?"

"Yesterday night on patrol, I spotted Karai and didn't say anything about it. Raph confronted me later, he saw her as well, and started going off on her again. I got angry, angrier than I had been in years. I'm not sure why. I got mad and, well, you saw what I did. I - I don't know what got into me. I ran and, um, cooled down."

I don't tell Master Splinter about my time that night with Karai. It's a personal memory, one that gives me a warm glow and one I keep close to my heart. I'm not ready to give it up yet.

"She followed us to the Kraang lab tonight in search of information on the Kraang. Raph found her and they fought. I tried to stop them and ended up setting off an alarm in the process. The Kraang attacked and we fought them, Karai fighting on our side. We were surrounded though, there were too many. All but Karai. She provided a distraction by creating a mutant that quickly devastated the Kraang. She left in the middle of the battle. I stopped her and asked her why she was leaving us to clean up her mess. She said she was trying to help us, that I needed to trust her and let her go and she would explain later. I trust her, so I let her go. We took down the mutant. My brothers asked me to explain, but I couldn't. I didn't know the entire story yet, and I didn't know what to say. Raph was furious with me and we fought some more. I tried to leave to talk to Karai about what she did, but Raph refused to let me go. I asked him again and again and finally I - I hit him again. I was angry again and I just let my emotions carry me away. He let go and I went to talk to Karai. She did it to help us Sensei. She showed Shredder the Kraang and convinced him that it was worth investigating. That means that those forces won't be used to hunt us down. Karai is a good person, Sensei. She helped us and she's my friend."

I finish my story, slightly out of breath.

"Where were you after you talked with this Karai?"

"I - I was running, wandering the city thinking." I lie.

He shakes his head sadly. "You have never been a good liar, Leonardo. Where were you really?"

I blush at being found out. "I was hanging out with Karai. She's my friend, after all, and I didn't want to face Raph sooner than I had to."

Master Splinter sighs again. "Leonardo, deception is the kunoichi's most important weapon. She will use it against you."

"Deception? Sensei, she's not deceiving me." I can't believe what he's saying.

"That's what they always say, right before they are betrayed. And she is. She is changing you. Before, you would have never hit your brother."

"Before, I had no reason to. It was completely my fault Sensei. I got angry. Raph has been ragging on me all day and between taking my place as leader and trying to keep me from being friends with Karai, I finally couldn't take it anymore. Same tonight. I just got angry with him. Sensei, she's sincere. She's a good person inside. I can sense it."

"Or perhaps you can sense feelings for this girl."

My face burns. "I never said anything about - "

"You did not have to. Raphael told me what you said to Miss O'Neil, the way you talk about her, and what you have told me about your actions with her confirms it. Leonardo, Raphael is right. You should not be anywhere near this girl. She has already seperated you from your brother and encouraged you to let your anger get the best of you. I forbid you from seeing her ever again."

What?! No no no no no no no!

"Sensei, please. I promise I will not let her come between me and my brothers, but she is important to me." I plead. No. This can't be happening.

Sensei shakes his head though. "I am sorry Leonardo, but this is for your own good."

My heart shatters. Numbness sets in. Never see Karai again? No. This can't be happening this can't be happening THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!

"Sensei please!"

"That is my final word on the subject, Leonardo. Now go to your room."

I stand up on shaky legs, blinking back something warm and wet. I sway back and forth, unable to grasp what just happened. I can never see Karai again. Not without disobeying Sensei.

"She understands me, more than anyone else. She likes me for who I am, DESPITE who I am." I whisper, knowing Sensei can hear me. "And she did not separate me from Raph. He did that himself."

I walk numbly out of the dojo, past my brothers who are trying to pretend that they weren't eavesdropping, and into my room. I lie down on my bed and stare at the wall. Five hours ago, I was the happiest turtle alive. Happier than I have ever been before. Now I am absolutely devastated. Destroyed. It feels like someone has ripped out my heart. Unconsciously, I start to tremble. My best friend. The girl of my dreams. My girlfriend, even. Gone. I only met her a week ago, but she already means the world to me. But she is verboten. Off-limits. Forbidden.

I will never be happy again. My vision blurs. There is a lump in my throat the size of Manhattan. I gasp for air, but I can't get enough. Horrible, heartwrenching moans are filling the room. I can't find their source. It is raining. It must be, for water is dripping down my face. My vision clouds even further and I shut my eyes tight. The world around me fades away as I drown in misery and grief.

* * *

I don't know when I wake up. Somehow I kind of float between sleep and wakefulness before completely coming to my senses. I feel far from rested. My stomach aches along with my throat and my head and my heart. I feel like a wreck. I want to curl back up in my bed and cry myself back to sleep, but I need something to eat before returning to unawareful bliss. I drag my body out of bed and walk to the kitchen like a zombie. Sluggish, feet dragging, and uncaring about his surroundings.

Voices are coming from the kitchen. "Should I take some to Leo?" Mikey, his voice hinting concern.

"It might be best to leave him alone, Mikey." Donnie cautions.

"I don't see what he's so upset about." Raph. Cold and unfeeling as ever. My fists clench at his words.

"Dude, he can't see his best friend ever again. That's got to be devastating." Mikey. Sympathetic.

"And if what you said is true, he liked her too. And his dreams and hopes have been crushed." Donnie.

"It's for his own good. Karai -"(My heart gives a painful pang) "would have messed him up, betrayed him, or both."

"What do you know about Karai?" I croak. All eyes fly to me. Wide, filled with surprise and concern.

"Leo?" Mikey asks hesitantly. I nod. He has a pizza box in his hands. I flip open the lid. For the first time since, well, ever, it's plain cheese. Perfect. I grab a slice and scarf it down, then start to leave. I catch my image reflected on a pot. My mask is dark with stains, my tears clearly visible. My blue eyes are red and puffy, my face flushed. I don't just feel like a wreck; I look like one too.

"Do you want any more, Leo?" Mikey asks. Usually, I can eat four times the amount I took from him.

I shake my head. "Not hungry." I mumble.

"You should really eat Leo." I glare fiercely at Donnie. He flinches.

"I just did. And I'm not hungry." I trudge back to my room and crawl under my covers, trying to disappear from the world. The world does not cooperate.

There is a knock at my door. "Leonardo?" Master Splinter. Ordinarily, I would let him in without a second thought. But I'm angry. He is the one that taught me that everything is not as it seems, to trust our instincts and to give people second chances. But he threw all that out the window when he banished me from Karai. Where is her second chance? Where is her benefit of the doubt?

"Leonardo. Please let me in."

"I'm tired Sensei. I want to sleep." I can not keep a faint touch of anger out of my voice.

"Moping in bed will only make it worse, Leonardo."

"I'm not moping!" I snap, too upset to feel guilty about it.

"Then what are you doing hiding under the covers?" How did he know I was under my - oh, forget it.

"I'm - I'm mourning. Aren't I allowed to miss her? Or is that wrong and forbidden too?" I don't mean to say that. But I don't regret it.

I hear a sigh outside my door, filled with impatience and sadness. Master Splinter says no more and leaves me. Tears well up in my eyes once again. I truly miss her already.

Why can't they see the good in her like I can? Why don't they believe she was trying to help us? Why?

* * *

APRIL'S POV

Last night, the guys came back from their mission without Leo. One look from Raph, and I knew what this was about. Leo's gal pal in the Foot. Sensing Raph was about to come clean about everything, I made a hasty escape. I could't tell them anything Raph couldn't anyway, and this was one meeting I didn't mind missing.

Now I've finally escaped my aunt's overprotective eye and am walking into the Lair. I count one, two, three turtles in the living room, watching a movie on the TV, a horror flick.

"Hey guys." I greet them, getting a nod from Raph, a wave from Mikey, and a lackluster "Hey April" from Donnie. I frown slightly.

"Where's Leo? He did come home last night, right?"

"Oh, he came home alright, at around 7:00 in the morning. Cut it pretty close." Donnie frowned slightly.

"Went to talk to Sensei." Mikey adds.

"And?"

"Booked it to his room with the waterworks flowing." Donnie and Mikey glare at their brother. He notices. "What?"

"Dude, are you seriously that heartless?" Mikey says with unusual seriousness.

Raph shifts uncomfortably. "I'm not heartless. It's for his own good."

Donnie glares even harder. "There's no need to be so casual about it. You heard him too. He sounded like a wounded animal."

"Leo?" I raise an eyebrow. Somehow, I can't picture Leo crying.

"Yeah, pretty strange, huh?" Mikey nods.

"Let me get this straight. Because you guys all found out about his friend in the Foot, Leo started crying." I ask skepticly.

Donnie shakes his head. "Leo started crying because Sensei forbid him from seeing her ever again."

I'm blown away. Wow. "Okay, that makes more sense." Whoa. That's . . . that's kind of harsh.

"It's for his own good." Raph repeats. "I met the girl and she was definitely Foot. She was using him, I'd bet anything on it."

"Where's Leo now?" I ask.

They exchanged a look. "He's in his room, but you should leave him alone April. He's pretty upset." Donnie warns.

"He may like the company." I argue.

Raph shrugs. "It's her funeral."

"April, you should really leave him be." Donnie tries again to stear me away.

"I'm just going to check on him. It'll be fine." I turn away and walk towards Leo's room in the back. As I get close, I hear music filtering from under the door. I know that song. They Don't Know About Us, by One Direction. Something about it seems off, though. I sit down beside the door and listen. I realize what it is. Leo's singing along.

* * *

_People say we shouldn't be together_

_Too young to know about forever_

_But I say they don't know what they're talk-talk-talking about_

_Cause this love is onky getting stronger_

_And I don't want to wait any longer_

_I just want to tell the world that you're mine, girl!_

_Oh, they don't know about the things we do_

_They don't know about the I love you's_

_But I betcha if they only knew_

_They would just be jealous of us_

_They don't know about the up all night's_

_They don't know I've waited all my life_

_Just to find a love that feels this right_

_Baby they don't know about, they don't know about us_

_One touch, and I was a believer_

_Every kiss, it gets a little sweeter_

_It's getting better_

_Keeps gettIng better all the time girl!_

_They don't know about the things we do_

_They don't know about the I love you's_

_But I betcha if they only knew_

_They would just be jealous of us_

_They don't know about the up all night's_

_They don't know I've waited all my life_

_Just to find a love that feels this right_

_Baby they don't know about, they don't know about us_

_They don't know how special you are_

_They don't know what you've done to my heart_

_They can say anything they want_

_Cause they don't know us . . ._

_They don't know what we do best_

_It's between you and me, our little secret_

_But I want to tell them, I want to tell the world that you're mine, girl!_

_Oh, they don't know about the things we do_

_They don't know about the I love you's_

_But I betcha if they only knew_

_They would just be jealous of us_

_They don't know about the up all night's_

_They don't know I've waited all my life_

_Just for a love that feels this right_

_Baby they don't know about, they don't know about us_

_They don't about the things we do_

_They don't know about the I love you's_

_But I betcha if they only knew_

_They would just be jealous of us_

_They don't about the up all night's _

_They don't know I've wait all my life_

_Just for a love that feels this right_

_Baby they don't know about, they don't know about us_

_They don't know about us_

_They don't know about us_

* * *

Leo and the song finish. For a minute, I am frozen where I sit. I have never heard Leo so emotional. He poured his heart into that song. Maybe that girl was a Foot, but Leo loved her. Anyone who heard him sing that song would know that. I could hear his pain, his happiness, his sorrow and his anger in his voice, bouncing off the walls to the music. His emotions are completely sincere. He sang it with more passion and feeling than One Direction did.

I stand up, wait a few seconds, then knock on his door.

"Go away Mikey." A tense, muffled voice calls.

"I'm not Mikey."

"Oh." A pause. "Go away _April."_

"Come on Leo, let me in."

"April, I appreciate the concern, but I want to be alone."

"Leo..."

"April, I mean it." His tone is sharp and hard. He means it. But letting him broad alone in his room won't help him.

I try to think of something, anything I can ask him.

"What's her name?" I ask.

"What?" Surprised.

"What's the girl's name?" Five, ten seconds pass.

"Karai." He whispers, just barely audible.

"What's she like?" I gently probe. Silence meets me. "Leo?"

"Why do you care? You're the one who told me not to see her. You think she's just another Foot soldier, everyone does. But she has a good side, and when she helps us, you guys just ignore it. She's had a hard life and made some bad choices, but she's a good person."

"Maybe she is Leo -"

"She is."

"But Leo, if the Foot attacks, you need to be able to fight them. That includes Karai. Being friends with her . . . it just wouldn't work out."

"Yes it would. I would fight her to protect my brothers, but she wouldn't, not for real. I trust her."

"I know Leo, but . . . what if she is just using you?"

"She isn't!" Double thuds. Leo's on his feet. "She is not using me, she - she- she's not! You don't know her, you don't know what she's like, you don't know what she's done for me, you don't know about us, you don't know anything! She would never betray me!" The fury in his voice sends me reeling. I step back away from the door in shock. I have never heard Leo this angry or defensive. It's - it's honestly frightening.

I hear a thick sigh behind his door, heavy with sadness and guilt, and a small squeak as he sits back down on his bed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you, April. I'm just kind of stressed and, I don't know. Sorry. But she isn't using me. I'll - I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Maybe I'll actually see you next time." I joke, still slightly in shock from his earlier outburst.

A small chuckle comes from under the door. "Sure, why not?" His attempt at lightheartedness falls flat. I can hear sorrow dripping from every syllable.

* * *

**So, yeah, I've ruined Leo's life! Sorry Leo, you know I love you. So yeah, Leo is crushed and angry with his family. What will happen next with his relationship with Karai? Well, you'll find out when I do!**

**I have a poll on my profile I would like answered, HINT HINT!**

**REVIEW! Or I'll bribe the Shredder to come destroy you!**

**I am not kidding.**

**Or am I? Or was I telling the truth? You dont't want to find out. MWAHAHA!**

**Just review.**


	7. Pining

**Seventh Chapter! OMG! This takes the place of Enemy of my Enemy, because everything would still have happened between this and Alien Agenda.**

**I don't exactly like how this turned out, I think I could have done better, but my muse says to post this NOW. And I don't llike arguing with my muse. It gets angry. Bad things happen.**

**Now before you dial your local insane asylum, here's a nice update!**

**Oh, and about Raph. I see it more like he really cares about Leo, he's just trying to protect him and get him to move on. **

**Enjoy!**

DONNIE'S POV

As I return from my trip to the surface, arms full of stuff I scavanged, I pass Leo lying on the couch, engulfed in his new hobby. I inwardly sigh at the sight and continue on to my lab. The flash drive Mikey recovered from TCRI told about a Kraang ship coming through the portal in a couple of nights. I've taken it upon myself to upgrade our tech and fix anything that could be useful.

I sit down at my lab table to work, but I can't focus on the task at hand. Instead, my mind wanders to Leo. This time I let my sigh escape and listen to it echo around my large, empty lab. I'm worried about him, to say the least.

Ever since he was told he couldn't see Karai, Leo hasn't been the same. After the initial first few days of weepy-ness, he became passive-agressive and hard. He doesn't talk much anymore, speaking only when it's absolutely necessary to complete the various missions we've been on, and always in that same cold flat voice. One that becomes colder and flatter when speaking to Raph. He hardly ever smiles anymore, a firm mask of a mixture of anger and stoicism tempered with sadness on his face.

We still haven't let him leave the Lair unaccompanied by one of us on Master Splinter's orders. Because of that, Leo has taken to locking himself in his room for hours on end when he seeks privacy, whish is becoming more and more frequent. It concerns me, him isolating himself so much.

He still trains, harder than ever actually. But he remains silent, only nodding to Sensei. He has been reading his books more than before, asking April for new ones about once a week. April obliges, and he'll vanish for a day or two reading his latest. He's lost a lot of interest in Space Heroes; I've actually seen him skip a few episodes, something he's never done before. He's taken up a new hobby, one that I just walked in on him doing. Leo will grab his T-pod I built him, plug in the headphones, and just stare at the ceiling in the main room, listening to music all night long. Once, late at night, I saw him crying a little, listening to his music.

It breaks my heart, seeing him so cold and detached from the rest of us, suffering in his own little ball. But what can I do? Master Splinter thinks it's best to keep him from seeing Karai, but it's obviously killing him. Sometimes I wonder if there was more to the story than he told us.

Personally, I've never met Karai, not really. So, I'm not sure which version is the true one, Raph's or Leo's. Is she really a good person who wants to be friends with Leo, or is she just trying to use him?

* * *

A couple of nights later, it's stakeout time. We set up camp on a rooftop with a clear view of TCRI. Leo stands watch over the building with me by his side, while Mikey and Raph goof off behind us. We wait, and wait, and wait. Nothing happens, and Mikey starts playing on his phone.

A couple of hours have passed, and no sign. I look over at Leo and notice sad eyes aimed at somewhere other than TCRI. I follow his line of sight and see the Byerly Building outlined against the moon.

Oh, Leo.

I place my hand on his shoulder and he looks back at me. "I know this is an extremely stupid question, but are you alright?" I ask in a gentle, low voice.

He turns his gaze to the ground and sighs, letting his mask slip for the first time in weeks. "I just - I really miss her. This wouldn't be so bad if . . ." He trails off.

"If what?" I ask, but he just shakes his head and resumes watch over TCRI, his wall back in place.

Another hour passes with no change. Leo uses his spyglass and zooms in on TCRI. He lowers it and shakes his head. Nothing. A silence falls over us, until . . .

"Wow this combat game is so realistic." Mikey says, twisting his phone this way and that.

"You want me to make it more realistic?" Raph threatens.

"Keep it down." Leo hisses. "We need to stay alert."

"Yeah," A hauntingly familiar voice calls out. "You never know what could sneak up on you." I see Leo stiffen, then adopt an expression of awe as he turns around along with us.

"Karai." He whispers, and for the first time in forever, my big brother smiles, and it's like the sun breaking through the storm.

"Hi Captain. Long time no see." She taunts, smiling back at him. Leo starts to take a step towards her, but Raph steps in front of him.

"Hold on Leo. Remember what Master Splinter said?"

Leo turns his furious gaze onto Raph, his eyes drilling two holes into Raph's head. "Do you honestly think I've forgotten? I owe her an explanation Raphael. She derserves that much."

Raph takes a step back, then reasserts himself and scowls. "Fine. But make it quick."

Karai stares at Leo. "Explanation? Leo, what's going on?" She glances at me and Mikey and adds, "Besides the obvious stakeout?"

Leo takes a deep breath, pushes pass Raph, stands close to her, and looks her in the eye, a pained look floating over him. "Karai, after I left my brothers by the lab, Raph took my brothers home and told my family everything. I tried to tell them how you did it to help us, but . . . they don't believe me. My sensei . . . he's forbidden me from seeing you again as anything but enemies."

A shocked look passes over her face, then she flashes through emotions. Disbelief, sadness, worry, surprise, helplessness, then finally she stops on rage. "What?! You can't be serious!" When his expression confirms it, she turns to the rest of us. "I try to help you. I try to do a good thing, and you - you - "

Her hand flies to her sword hilt and she prepares to draw. Leo grabs her hand though and pulls it away. "Karai, don't hurt them. They had nothing to do with it. Well, Raph told, but he had every reason to." He looks to Raph and mutters under his breath, "Although I wish he hadn't."

"You can let go of her hand now." Raph nods to Leo's arm, where his hand is still interlocked with Karai's. Leo blushes and hesitantly lets his grip on Karai loosen. Karai, however, tightens hers and returns her focus to Leo.

"Leo, he can't do this. Hamato Yoshi has already stolen someone from me; I will not let him do it again."

What? What is she talking about? Leo looks just as clueless.

"Karai, what are you - "

Of course, this is the moment the Kraang ship decides to finally show up.

* * *

LEO'S POV

Seriously! SER-I-OUS-LY! Can I talk to Karai for five minutes without a family member, mutant, or enemy interruppting? No, appereantly I can't, not even when I haven't spoken to her in weeks.

I am overjoyed to see her, though. These last few weeks have been tough, to say the least. It seemed like an ordeal just to drag myself out of bed everyday to face the threat of the Kraang and Shredder's goons and everything else. I don't talk to Raph or Master Splinter if I can help it, and just barely to Mikey and Donnie. It's not that I'm that mad at them, I just don't think I could hold my thoughts back if I started, and I'd do or say something I'd regret. Besides, I have nothing to say.

Everyday I think about her and our date. I think about our talks and my night on the rooftops where she cried on me. I also spend a great deal of time thinking about our kiss, trying to save the sensation and pull it up to relive over and over again. Shell, it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. What I wouldn't give to do it again.

Mostly though, I think about our ban and her and music. I think about her, and I listen to music that reminds me of her and her love and mine, and how I feel. I've always loved music with a passion, but now I drown myself in it. Music is the soundtrack of my life. It speaks to me and draws emotions out and allows me a glimpse of understanding them. It also keeps me connected to Karai in a way, no matter how small that way may be.

Right now though, I'll have to put my old thinking, and my new questions on her outburst, on hold. The Kraang ship that Donnie found out about has come through the portal.

It turns around in a circle, scanning its surroundings until its giant metal eye halts on us. Uh-oh.

"This can't be good." I mumble.

The ship just . . . hovers for a few seconds. For a couple of foolish moments, I think it's going to pass us by. But of course I'm wrong. That would be too easy.

The ship starts humming, getting louder and louder pitched, then a pink laser/bolt of lightning/ray thing darts out of the eye. It touches down a few feet away and the concrete is turned to rubble. It's a ray gun.

"You have a plan for beating this thing?" Karai asks, her hand tight around mine as we all back away.

"Of course I do. Step one; run!" I shout, pulling her away, running across rooftops, the sound of my brothers footsteps close behind. I hear the sound of the ray gun firing behind us and look over my shoulder. My brothers are close on my tail, keeping a good distance between them and the Kraang ship.

"What is that thing?" Karai asks, easily keeping pace.

"Not sure, but off the top of my head, I'd say the Kraang use it for flying and shooting at things." I quip. We run past an alley, and Karai pulls into it. My brothers run past, and I silently will them to find cover as well. From what I've seen so far, we can't outrun or outgun it on the ground like this. They need to get underground or a nook or cranny if they want to escape.

"Leo, what are they doing?" Karai hisses, pulling me deeper into the alley.

"We got some information off of a flash drive at TCRI, the Kraang's base. They have a portal, Karai, a portal to their home world. They can bring anything they have in their dimmension to ours. And they have some wicked stuff, including that ship. Karai, they want to terriform the earth so they can colonize it. The super bad thing is, we can't breath their air. If they succeed, it's basically the end of the world."

Karai sucks in a deep breath, then lets it out in a heavy sigh. "I don't see you for a few weeks and this happens."

"Karai . . ." I'm at a loss for words.

"Leo, isn't there anyrhing you can do?" She doesn't mean the Kraang.

"Karai, if I knew a way to change my Sensei's mind, I wouldn't have to tell you this. I don't know what to do. Come over to our side!" I add quickly. "Please Karai."

She looks conflicted. "Leo, you know I can't. I have a obligation to Shredder."

"Karai, please." I plead.

"Leo, I can't leave the Foot. It's complicated."

"Karai, what -" I say her name for the third time. _Third times the charm,_ I think absentmindedly.

She cuts me off, not with words, but a kiss. All my words and thoughts are forgotten and I melt into her. My second kiss. It's just as amazing as I remember. Her small hands are clutching the folds of my mask, holding me in place. I grab her forearms, not to move them, but to pull her closer. This is so wrong in the eyes of my Sensei and my brothers, but in mine, there's never been anything so right.

I'm still not very good at this, so when she pulls back for air, I flounder for a second before regaining my footing. My face burns, but I don't mind.

"Leo . . ." Like I did before, she trails off.

"Karai, I swear, I'll do everything I can to see you, hopefully without disobeying my Master. " She smiles gratefully at me, and it gives me the courage to ask a question. "Karai, who has Hamato Yoshi stolen from you?"

Her face falls, and a look of sadness and maybe even fear washes over her, before she pushes it away. "You'd better go. Your brothers will be looking for you of you stay away any longer."

"But -"

"Leo, it's a long story. One I'm not ready to tell yet. I'll tell you, soon, I promise. Just - not now." She turns away and before I can say anything, she melts into the shadows, throwing a "See ya Captain." over her shoulder.

I stand there like a lost puppy for a second, then turn and leave the alley. When I round the corner, I see Donnie rush up to me. "There you are Leo!" He shouts. I keep my face blank, but something about his voice seems off to me.

"Donnie, where are Mikey amd Raph?"

"Underground in the sewer tunnel, waiting for us so we can all go back to the Lair." Still, his voice hitches in weird places, and the tone and pitch are strange. He's hiding something. Uh-oh. I keep calm though, and follow him into the sewers and meet up with my other brothers like nothing happened in the alley. Thankfully, no one mentions Karai, the focus of the conversation on the Kraang ship.

That changes when we get back to the Lair.

* * *

DONNIE'S POV

I pay no mind to my brothers or their conversation Leo was oh-so-eager to join in. A memory from just a couple of minutes ago is playing on a loop in my mind and all my thoughts centered around it. Leo, my older brother, kissing the Foot girl Karai. With absolutely no hesitation of any kind.

Oh my shell, what was he thinking?! He can't see her! His heart is already in pieces, is he trying to shatter it completely? As soon as I can, I need to get him alone and get an answer. I tell myself that calmly and rationaly and try to think of something else.

I fail.

What the shell?! Leo was kissing her! Leo kissed a girl in an alley! What the shell was he thinking? Leonardo was kissing a girl! A girl in the Foot that he's not even allowed to be friends with. Aw, man.

Okay. Mental freakout over. I need to focus. It's Q and A time with Master Splinter.

* * *

"How was your mission, my sons?" Master Splinter asks as we file in to the dojo.

"Well, the Kraang ship showed up, and it's definitely a problem. It's fast, has a laser, and some kind of cloaking technology." Raph reports. Leo hasn't done it in awwhile, only speaking to add any details he thinks may be important.

"Anything else?" Master Splinter prompts.

"We saw that girl Karai tonight." Mikey says.

Sensei's head swivels to Leo. "Is this true Leonardo?"

Leo lowers his gaze and nods.

"What happened?"

"I told her about - about - you know, that." Leo speaks softly, his voice cracking a little.

"Grabbed her hand." Raph adds. I sneak a glare at him. Why is he being so hard on Leo? Is he trying to make him upset?

"To keep her from drawing her sword on you guys. I probably would've done the same thing, in her place. She was mad about the ban, that's all." Leo looks up at Master Splinter, trying to convey he's telling the truth.

"Maybe . . ." Master Splinter muses.

"She was!" Leo exclaims. "I'm her first and only friend! Of course she'd be mad when I tell her I can't see her again." I flinch. Before now, Leo would never backtalk Sensei.

"Leonardo . . ."

"It's true! She needs a friend and I'm the only one she's got and you've hurt both of us!" Leo grits his teeth and stands up, half-running to the door. The sound of splashing water a few seconds later indicates he's broken into a run and gone to the sewers, not his room.

Master Splinter sighs and shake his head. Raph starts to stand up to follow him, but I grab him and pull him down. "Think, shellbrain. You're one of the last people he'd want to see right now. Give him a couple of minutes to cool down, then I'll go after him. He has his T-phone on him, I can track him."

"Fine." Raph grumbles. Master Splinter dismisses us, but I stay behind.

"What is it, Donatello?" He sighs.

"Sensei, are you sure that banning Leo from Karai is the best thing to do? This girl may be Foot, but she makes Leo happy. That week he knew her, he was cheery, all smiles. A bit distant, but upbeat and not stressed for once."

"Donatello, a kunoichi has been trained to use deception against her enemies. Karai may be true friends with Leonardo, but if battle comes between the Shredder and our family, Leonardo must be prepared to fight her. If she is using him, Leonardo's heart and ability to trust will be shattered. I wish to spare him the pain." At that moment, Master Splinter seemed older and more wise than before.

"But Leo's in pain now. When he's not training, he's hold up in his room reading or in the main room listening to music. He barely talks anymore when we aren't on a mission. It's not right."

Sensei shook his head. "Leonardo is letting his feelings for this girl get in the way of logical thinking. If he cannot put her behind him, he will suffer."

I think about the kiss I witnessed. He sure didn't look like he was suffering then. "It's been a few minutes. I'll go look for him, Sensei."

"Go Donatello. Bring Leonardo home."

* * *

I connet my phone to my laptop and transfer the tracking program. This way, if Leo moves from his current position in the sewers below 7th and Walnut, I'll know it. On my way out of my lab, I pass one of my old projects and get an idea. When I find Leo I'll have to run it pass him.

I keep one eye on my phone the entire trip, but Leo doesn't move. When I reach the spot, Leo's just sitting there, staring at the ceiling of the tunnel.

"What do you want, Donnie?" He doesn't look at me. I sit down next to him.

"Answers, Leo. Questions have been running around my head and I want to get rid of them."

"You're the genuis." He sighs. "Figure it out."

I stop beating around the bush and lay my cards on the table. "I saw you in the alley with Karai." His eyes go wide and his breath hitches in his throat. He turns to face me.

"What did you see?"

"I heard muffled talking, and then I saw you and her kiss." His shoulders slumps. "Leo, you lied, or at least didn't tell the whole truth, and I want the whole story now."

"Donnie, you - you're right." He looks down, unable to look me in the eye. "We were closer than I let on. It just - it all happened so fast. One minute we were just friends and then we were best friends and then, well - "

"What exactly happened?" I coax.

"The night I ran out of the Lair, mad at Raph, I didn't just cool off. Karai found me, looking for information on the Kraang. I told her that they were aliens who were snatching scientists and mutating things. Then, the conversation took a turn and I found out about her parents. Her father basically abandoned her and her mother died when she was a baby, Donnie. She has no parents, no friends, no real life. She got upset, talking about her mother. She started to cry and I comforted her. That's how I knew I could trust her. Donnie, you can't fake sadness like that."

I feel a twinge of sympathy for Karai. No mother, no father. Must have been tough. Must still be tough. "Go on."

"When I went to see her after the World Wide Genome Project lab, she did explain to me. She was sincere, I swear. We drifted to each other through the conversation and she leaned in just a little and kissed me." He pauses and looks wistful and astounded. "She kissed me and I kissed her back and we kissed and Donnie it was the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me."

I feel a ripple of jealousy. He only knows his crush for a week and they kiss. Not fair. I've known April for months. But I still ask him to go on.

"We weren't just hanging out the rest of the night. It was a date. We snuck into a movie theater - " he ignores my shocked gasps - " and saw The Avengers and How To Train Your Dragon. Really good movies. Then I came home and got the news I could never see her again, and I kinda lost it. My heart was broken."

"Leo, I - I don't know what to say."

"Donnie, Karai's a good person. She's had bad luck, and has some kind of debt to Shredder. She can't leave the Foot because of it ; I've asked. Just my luck that the only girl who accepts me is the only girl I'm forbbiden to see." He looks up hopefully at me. "Donnie, is there any way you could try to change Splinter's mind?"

I hate to break it to him, but I must, and I feel my heart crack as I watch his face fall. "Leo, I tried right after you left. Splinter thinks that having a friend in the Foot will only get your heart broken."

"But not seeing her is breaking my heart!"

"I know that, you know that, but he doesn't know that."

"You think I should tell him?" He says disbelievingly. "Yeah that would go over well." He snorts. "Hey Sensei, you know the girl you've forbidden me to see? Well, we weren't just friends, she had kissed me the same night Raph told you about her and we had been on a date through the morning and just today I saw her again and we kissed again, despite your specific instructions not to even talk to her, because I have feelings the size of Manhatten for her." He says sarcasticly.

"Well, then what are you going to do?" I throw my hands up in exasperation.

"I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wing it."

"You? Winging it?" My eyes bulge. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother Leo?"

"Not funny, Donnie." But he smiles a little anyway.

"Come on, let's get back to the Lair before the others start looking for you." He truges to his feet and starts walking alongside of me.

I remember my idea just then. "Oh, Leo, I had an idea on how to find the Kraang ship!"

"Really? What?"

"Well, in wartime and even now, ships and airplanes use something called radar to keep track of the posistions of their other planes and enemy forces. Radar is basically waves being broadcasted over a long distance. When it hits something, it comes bouncing back and alearts the computer of the presence. I've made some satalite dishes we can set up around town. If the ship gets near us, I'll get an alarm on my T-phone." I explain, happy to go on about science.

"Good work, Donnie. We can set them up tonight; we still have a few hours until daylight."

* * *

KARAI'S POV

I replace my mask and let the scowl I've been holding back fill my face. "Yes Father." I dutifully reply, then turn and gracefully strut out of the "throne room" as I've taken to calling it in my head. When I hear the doors behind me slam shut, my walk turns into an angry stomp and I remove my hated faceplate, revealing my angry scowl for the world to see. I stalk into my room and slam the door, flopping onto my bed and fixating my angry stare onto the ceiling.

How dare he not do anything! The Kraang are invading! They'll kill us all! And all he can think about is his vendetta against Hamato Yoshi and the turtles and Leo! If they win, there'll be no enemies and no US! He's so short-sided! Urgh! I can't believe he's my father!

And I can't believe what happened between me and Leo. How dare Hamato Yoshi interfere in Leo's life like that! I don't care if he is his master, he can't keep Leo away from me! I genuinly care about him, a lot. I even took the time to nickname him. Captain, as in Captain America. He's such a goody-goody like C. A. and also an incredible fighter.

And he appearantly cares about me too, and Hamato Yoshi has the nerve to try to keep us apart! How dare he try to ruin my life once again. He has already taken away my mother! I won't let him take Leo too!

I growl at my empty room. I need to punch something.

I hit the rooftops with a furious energy. I pay no attention to my destination, looking for anything or anyone I can take my fury out on. Fortune then smiles on me as I stumble across the turtle I've been dying to see. Leonardo. Unfortunately, Tag-Along Tommy is with him. They're installing some kind of dish. I wait until Purple is busy with the machine, then make the smallest of noises. Leo's eyes immediatly dart to my hiding place. I wave and he smiles.

"Come on out, Karai." I stiffen. What is he doing?!

"He knows." He gestures to his brother, who is standing up, squinting at me. "The little sneak." I hear him mutter under his breath, and I nearly laugh.

I step out of the shadpws and quickly close the distance between us. "You told him? What part about forbidden did you not comprehend, Leo?"

"I saw you." Purple butts in. "I saw you and Leo in the alley."

"And I didn't hear you?" I ask skeptically.

"You were busy." He smirks. "We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Donatello. My brothers call me Donnie." He holds out his hand.

"Karai." I quickly shake it. "You're the techno-geek of the team, right?"

"I prefer scientist." Donnie protests half-heartedly.

"Whatever. So did you talk to Hamato Yoshi?" I ask Leo.

"Well, not really. I more or less got mad at him and raced out of there. Donnie asked for me. No go."

I grit my teeth. "That - ugh! Leo, what are we going to do?"

"Karai, I -" He stops, looking at his brother and blushing. "Um, Donnie, could you give us a few minutes?"

Donnie looks conflicted. "I don't know . . ."

"What if this was you and you-know-who? Please Donnie?" His brother blushes and mumbles something indistinct, walking away awkwardly.

Leo turns back to me. "Karai, I honestly don't know. I don't want to disobey my Sensei, but I can't give you up."

A warm glow fills me, like I've just drunken a large bowl of warm soup. "Really?"

His face gets even redder, but he keeps speaking. "Yeah. Karai, I care about you a lot. I've only known you for a few weeks, but you already mean so much to me. I think- I think I love you."

Now it's my turn to blush. Love? He loves me? That warm feeling grows stronger and I feel dizzy and lightheaded, but in a good way. _Is this what it feels like to be_ loved? I think.

"Oh, Leo . . ." I whisper. Suddenly I think of my father. When was the last time he told me he loves me? I can't remember. Has he ever told me he loves me? Surely he has, but for the life of me I can't remember when.

"I shouldn't have said that." Leo rushes to say when I don't say anything. "I'm sorry, it just kind of slipped out, I'm sorry."

"Leo, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you." I give him a hug, and he wraps me in his warm arms. After a few seconds I pull away and add, "If you tell anyone about the past minute, I will kick you out of your shell."

He laughs, snaps to attention, and salutes me. "Yes sir!"

I smirk at him. "That's ma'am to you, Captain."

"Yes ma'am sir!"

This time I'm the one to laugh, half at him and half at how we went from super serious to joking around like 10 year olds.

"Why do you keep calling me Captain?"

"Captain as in Captain America."

"So I'm a superhero now?" He grins in his goofy way. "Cool!" I chuckle again.

"Karai . . ." Leo starts, back to his serious voice. Oh . . .

"Yeah?"

He looks me dead in the eyes. "Who did Hamato Yoshi steal from you?"

My heart pangs with misery. "Leo . . ."

"Karai, I need to know. Hamato Yoshu adopted me and my brothers; he's like a father to me. If he did something to hurt you, I need to know. I can't live my life wondering if he actually believed in everything he's taught me about honor and right and wrong. I can't live without knowing." He has a point. I need to tell him; it may as well be now. I gather as much courage as I can.

"Leo, you know how my mother is dead?" I begin, trying to hold back tears.

"Yeah."

"She - she was murdered. By Yoshi." I whisper. Memories are stirring in the back of my head; horrible ones. I try to squash them, but they are too strong,

Leo looks shellshocked. "What?"

"Hamato Yoshi killed my mother!" I scream, tears now streaming down my face. I collaspe onto the ground, now overwhelmed by nightmares I've had for years and memories of my father telling the stories and all the feelings I crammed into a small bottle all this time. The bottle has now exploded and I freely sob. I feel strong but gentle arms wrap around me once more, and drag me into a lap, and I am rocked back and forth like a child. For once in my life, I don't care. I let Leo comfort me and let myself let all the emotions I've tried to deny over the years spill out on him. I don't care about appearing strong anymore. I finally let go of being strong all the time and lean on someone for a change. I'm glad that person is Leo.

**Okay, I really, really, REALLY want feedback on this. Do you think I rushed it, was Karai too OOC, bad ending, etc? Review people! I need it to live! My mise demands reviews so it can fester and exist in my brain. Review!**

**Bye!**


	8. Troubled

**I'm back! And guess what?! I got a KindleFireHD! And it lets me type up stories, so I no longer have to borrow my sister's, so hopefully my updates will be faster! Hope you enjoy!**

LEO'S POV

"Hamato Yoshi killed my mother!" Karai screams in agony, tears glistening in her eyes. No . . .No. . . I can't believe it. No, it can't be true. To my shock, Karai let's out a strangled moan, collaspses in on herself, and starts to sob. Instinctively, hating to see her so upset and miserable, I sit down beside her and lift her slim frame into my lap. She makes no sign she notices besides leaning in, and continues to cry. My heart breaks at the sight of my strong Karai broken in my arms, reduced to a sobbing mess at the thought of my father and her mother.

_My father caused this . . ._the thought stabs into my brain. I shake it out, unable to think about it. I focus only on comforting Karai. I gently rock her back and forth in my arms and whisper softly to like "It'll be okay." and "It's all right. Let it out.". Okay, not very original, but they seem to work. My belt is soon soaked in tears, but I continue to gently hold onto her.

Donnie comes back to check on us after a few minutes, but stops short in his tracks as he realizes what he's seeing. He starts to approach again, his mouth opening to ask a question, but I shoot him down with a death glare. He holds up his hands in surrender and awkwardly backs away to another rooftop.

Karai shifts in my lap, her crying slower but still strong. She burys her head against my plastron, right above my heart, and one hand clutches the rim of my plastron, where the shell meets flesh, while the other snags on a groove in my plastron.

I cup the back of her head with one hand, the other still pulling her into a hug, and lightly set my chin on top of her head. It's a trick I use with Mikey when he has nightmares. It seems to be working now too. Karai's sobs get slower and slower, until her breathing calms and she's simply sniffling. I slowly pull back and tenderly lift up her chin to face her. Her make-up has run all over her face and tracks of tears stain her cheeks, teardrops still streaking down her nose and off her chin. I gently rub my thumb over her face, wiping away her tears and the smeared make-up.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. I can't think of anything else to say. My brain has stopped working. She stares at me, then flings her arms around my neck, her head resting in the crook between my neck and shoulder. I feel more tears slide onto my skin, but they are slow and few. I hold her close, shielding her as best I can.

An eternity passes on that rooftop before Donnie nervously steps back to us. He's scared of how I'll react, but whispers, "Leo, we have to go, or the others will come looking for us."

I am hesitant to leave Karai, but before I can say anything, she crawls out of my lap and stands up. She wipes away the last of her tears with her sleeve. "I'll -I'll see you later Leo." She doesn't meet my eyes and walks away slowly before jumping off the building. I stare, wanting with all my heart to follow her, but instead listen to my head and walk back home with Donnie.

Donnie stares at me the entire time. It isn't until we are below ground that he dares to say anything.

"Um, Leo, what was that?" He nervously asks

I sigh and allow my gaze to harden. "I- I'm not sure. I- I need to think. But Donnie -" I whirl around to face him, "tell absolutely no one about me and Karai. I'm dead serious. Not even a syllable of what you've seen tonight." I threaten.

Donnie nodded. "I get it Leo. I won't tell." I glare at him and he holds up his right hand. "I promise."

I sigh again and nod. "Thanks Donnie."

"What are little brothers for?"

I look at him and give a bittersweet smile. We arrive back at the Lair and, after mumbling some pleasantries, I stumble to the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and start a shower. I allow the water to heat and steam to fill the room, then strip off my mask, gear and pads. I step onto the lament floor and under the jet stream, the curtain swishing shut behind me. The water pounds against me with gentle pressure and slips down my face, limbs and shell. I savor the warmth and slowly turn around to get the back of my shell. I let my mind blank to unaware bliss, the comfort of the hot water and the sound of the pitter-patter of the water droplets against the floor. My lips crack open and water slips in, getting rid of the bad taste in my mouth I've had for the past hour.

The peace cannot last. Soon, inevitably, no matter how much I fight it, my mind turns to Karai's shout of grief. Hamato Yoshi, my Sensei, my adoptive father killed her mother.

I sigh heavily and press my forehead against the wall of the shower, shutting my eyes. What if it's true? Before this incident, I would have defended my Sensei to my last breath, but now . . . I don't know what to think anymore. I don't believe Karai is lying. I trust her, and she would never lie about something as serious as this. But, would my Sensei actually kill someone? Kill a woman?

No matter how mad at him I am, I can't see it. My stomach twists in a horrible way, like I'm about to lose my lunch. I don't know, and that's the crux of everything. I know absolutely nothing about Karai's mother or her death. I don't even know how Karai came to believe it was my Sensei who killed her. She was just a baby; she couldn't have known herself. I don't even feel like I know my own Sensei anymore. He talks about trusting your instincts, second chances, benifit of the doubt, seeing the good in people. But when I put it to practice . . . Well, he was supportive of my compassion to that Purple Dragon. But why not Karai? Why doesn't he trust my judgement, or let me use his lesson with her? Is he prejudice? It wouldn't be out of the question. But he's always told us to not judge people on their looks. We can't really, considering our own. So, why is he not following his own lessons? Or, does he not live what he preaches. I don't know. I don't know anything anymore.

No, wait. That's not true. I do know one thing. I know that I love Karai. It's the truth. I'm in love with Karai, and I will do all I can to support her and make her happy and come to terms with her mother's death. I don't care what my family says. I love her. I'm reminded of a song, and I sing it softly for the rest of my shower.

* * *

But I don't care what they say,

I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closin'

Oooooh, you cut me open and I

Keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding love

I keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding love

I keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding love

Oh, you cut me open . . .

* * *

The next night, my brothers and I are on patrol in the Shellraiser. It's quiet out, and we aren't really doing anything. As always, I'm driving, and it gives me an excuse to be quiet. Not that I need one these days.

Suddenly, there's a beeping from the back of the van. Through one of my monitors, I see Donnie pull out his T-phone and check the readout. "I've got a signal!" He says. "Doesn't match any authorized flight patterns . . . " I briefly wonder how he knows that. "It's got to be the Kraang ship!"

"Or Santa!" Mikey suggests. We turn a corner and hovering over the streets is the Kraang ship, much to Mikey's disappointment. "Nope, it's the Kraang ship. Aw, that's a bummer." He pouts. I kick the Shellraiser into high gear and began evasive manuveurs, but no matter how fast I go, the Kraang ship is always right behind me. In fact, I think it's gaining.

"Mikey, escape route, now!" I bark.

He checks his giant map. "Tale the alley on the right!" He shouts.

With a twist of my steering wheel, I turn into the directed alley, only to slam on the brakes. "It's a dead end!" I snarl.

Mikey looks back at his giant map, dooms in with his magnifine glass, then corrects himself, too late. "Don't take the alley on the right."

The Kraang ship powers up its beam, then shoots it out. It hits its target dead on, which is unfortunately us. The Shellraiser is pitched forward into the wall. We are tossed forward like rag dolls, and I hold onto the wheel in an attempt to stay in my seat as the temputure rises while the laser curs through the vans armor.

"Any ideas, guys?" I ask desperately.

"Just one." Raph growls, and proceeds to the back of the van and starts beating Mikey's shell. I turn my head forward, searching for an idea, someway out of here without abandoning ship and making ourselves easy targets for the Kraang. I can't think of anything. This looks like the end. Then an answer from above; the answer to our prayers. On one of the monitors, I watch my personal angel Karai appear. She leaps onto the ship and starts slamming her tanto into the top. I can't see any real damage being done, but it's enough to get the ship to turn off its laser aand concentrate all power on shaking her off. The ship backs up and leaves, with Karai still on it.

"That was Karai!" I offer as an explaination, throwing the van into reverse and tearing off after the ship. "We have to help her."

"No way, Leo. You aren't supposed to be near her, and we need to put some distance between that thing and us." Raph protests.

Anger surges through me. He would really leave the person who just saved our lives in the hands of the Kraang? The person he (at the very least) knows is my friend? "No."

"But the Shellraiser can't take another onslaught!" Donnie pips up from his station. I thought he was on my side! A piece of my temper goes to him.

"Then I'll do it myself!" I reach a quick desicion and unbuckle my seat belt, leaving the controls unattended. "Drive." I command. Raph jumps into my seat and after a few swerves takes control of the vechicle. I cross to the cover for the bike and jump inside.

"Hey, the Stealth Bike's my thing." Raph protests.

I look over my shoulder and fix him with a stare. "Well now your thing is sucking it up."

As I close the hatch behind me, I hear Donnie cry, "Hey! That's my thing!" I ignore him and grasp the controls for the bike. A few seconds later, I speed out from underneath the van. I swirl around and face the direction of the street. Where's the ship?! As if to answer my question, the ship passes a few feet above me, kicking up gravel. I close my eyes to avoid any rocks getting into them, then focus solely on the ship and its unwitting passenger.

I follow the Kraang ship for blocks, Karai holding on for dear life while still trying to do any damage she can. Ordianarily, I would admire how tough and focused she is, but right now I'm filled with worry.

Finally, the Kraang ship makes a sharp flip and Karai is flung off, 50 ft above the ground. Quickly, I twist the throttle and aim the bike at a car. I flick the fornt wheel up and use the car as a ramp. I go flying into the air as Karai falls down, and for a moment everything is frozen in time. Then time unfreezes. Karai lands neatly in my lap and we touchdown onto the street.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, concerned.

"Yeah, are you?"

"Fine." As I speed away from the ship there's a silence, and the Kraang take a potshot at us.

"I'm not really good about saying thank you . . ." I hide a smile. Oh, this should be good.

"And?"

"That was it." She shrugs, and I chuckle. The Kraang fire again, just narrowly missing us. Okay, time to get off the streets. I press a button on the side of the handlebars and the top raises up over us, a dim light illuminating the carrige so I can see. The monitor in between the handle bars flickers to life and I can see where I'm going. I pull into an alley and park in the shadows. The Kraang ship passes, and stops right in front of our alley. It hovers and rotates, scanning for any trace of us, and I hold my breath. Finally, it turns and speds away. I let my breath go and take time to look at Karai.

"They're gone."

"Obviously. Now Leo, there's something - " Karai is cut off. Not by an alien warship or a mutant this time, but by my lips against hers. I finally have worked up the coutage to kiss her for once, instead of the other way around. For a moment, I panic as Karai does nothing. What if she now longer feels that way? What if she pulls away? But my worries are unfound as she grabs my shell and pulls herself closer to me. One of my hands cups her cheek and the back of her neck, while the other slides down and finds her waist. In turn, one hand tangles itself in my mask tassles, while the other wraps around me and pins me into place. Our lips clash like our swords have done so many times, but I can honestly say I love this so much more than sparring. It feels like years pass before we break apart for Karai to get some air, but as soon as she catches her breath, she dives right back into me and kisses me with fierocity and passion, and I return it with every fiber of my being. I forget about my brothers, my sensei, the Foot, Karai's mother, I forget about everyting except Karai. Her body pressed against mine, her lips dancing with mine, her smell, her touch, her taste. Karai is my whole world for those glorious stolen minutes hidden in the Stealth Bike in an alley.

All too soon, we end the kiss, pulling our mouths apart but still keeping close together.

"Now we're even." I joke, smiling at her.

"And here I thought you liked me for my ninjitsu." She teases. My heart starts beating double time at her smile, blood pounding in my ears like the surf at her flirting tone.

"Come on, I want to show you something." I reeve up the bike and pull out of the alley.

"I'm pretty sure that's my line, and shouldn't you be getting back to your brothers?"

I shake my head. "I need a break from them, and I want to have just one night with you. And since I conveniently forgot my phone in the van, they have no way of tracking me."

She smirks at me. "You're learning, Captain. Looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"That's not a good thing." I mockingly shake my head in shame and laugh along with her. She has a pretty laugh, when she's not pretending to be the Foot soldier she portrays.

Five minutes later, I pull over and drive under an old bridge that leads to nowhere. I did some research and found that this was one of the first bridges in New York. Now considered structurally unsound, it's been abandoned and left in a horrible state of disrepair. Perfect for a teenage mutant ninja turtle when they want to be alone. I park ad roll down the top. Karai hops out first and stretches her legs. I follow suit.

"Where are we?" She asks.

"Old bridge on the coast. No one comes here anymore, except me." I walk to the edge of the water and squat doen, pretending to be intensely examining something. Karai joins me and looks over me shoulder to see what's so interesting. Lightning fast, I scoop some water and splash it in her face.

"Ugh! Ew!" She sputters. "Leo!" I laugh at the look of utter surprise on her face.

She glares at me, then grins evilly. "Oh, it is so on." She cups water in her hands and pushes it up towards me. I shield my face with my arm and push a wave back at her in retaliation. She splashes me, and I splash back, and it turns into a full out water war.

We splash each other like little kids on the bank, until I get an idea. I grin evilly at her.

She understands immediatly what I'm thinking, and waves her hands in front of her. "Uh-uh. No way, Leo." I ignore her and get closer. "No, no, Leo n- ah!" I scoop her up in my arms and carry her bridal style. "Leo, put me down!" She squeals, punching my arms. Not hard enough to make me let go though. I carry her out into the water, and when I'm a little more than waist deep I twirl her around and let her go. She drops with a shriek and splashes into the water. She goes under for a moment, then pops back up, spitting water from her mouth.

"Leo!" She yells over my laughter. She tries to seem angry with me, but I can tell she's not, not really. She makes a huge wave and splashes me full on in the face. I cough out the water, then send a wave back at her. We've taken our war to the river! It feels so good to let go, to just splash and play around like a couple of little kids.

We battle it out until we are exhausted. At that point, we crawl out of the water and flop down onto the beach.

"So you took me here to show me a river and to splash me?" Karai pants, slighty put of breath.

I take a few more breaths, then shake my head. "Nope, this was just a bonus. I came to show you something else." I stand up and help Karai up. I hold her hand and lead her to a matinence ladder on the side of the bridge.

"C'mon." I gesture at the ladder and start climbing up, Karai close at my heels. It takes some time, but we eventually make it to the top. We are on one of the towers that holds the suspension cables. It's one of the tallest structures around; and therefore has one of the best views. It's also far enough from the city that the smog and light pollution aren't as bad, and you can see more of the stars. I sit down in the dead center of the tower and gesture for Karai to join me. She does, practically sitting in my lap. She rests her head on my shoulder and gazes out at the world around us.

It's a warm night with only the slightest of wind, the perfect weather. The moon is full and shines down on the city, its twin looking back up from the watery depths of the river. The starlight dances across the Hudson, and seems almost magical tonight. The city is lit up like a Christmas display, red, green, gold, and white speckled all over the landscape, outlining skyscrapers daring to try and push the boundries. It is the perfect night. And I get to share it with my perfect girl.

"Wow. It's so peaceful up here. It's - it's beautiful." Karai says.

"Well, it may not be Tokyo, but it's the best I can do here."

We stay frozen like that for an endless time, completely silent, drinking in the view of the city that is my home. I would give anything to be able to capture that moment and live in it forever. Just me and Karai, far away from our troubles of the Kraang and my Sensei and my brothers and everything else. Nothing in the world mattering except just the two of us, alone in beautiful silence, enjoying each other company.

But it can't last.

"Leo. I don't want to ruin this, but there's something you really need to know." Karai says softly.

I bite my cheek and look at her. "What?"

She looks down. "Shredder has ordered a large delivery of weapons. He plans to use them to hunt down Hamato Yoshi, and you and your brothers. He has also sent for more Foot ninja from Japan. He plans to flush your family out of hiding, starting in a ring around the city and coming in until they find you. He won't stop until he does. Leo, I - I'm sorry. I don't know what to do to stop him. He wouldn't listen to me if I asked him to stop. He never listens to me. He drives me crazy!" She tacks on, fuming.

I myself have frozen stiffly in shock. The Shredder plans to hunt down my family with weapons? More than usual? Oh no. This is bad. This is really, really, REALLY bad. But shocked as I am, I still catch that last part.

"Karai, if he drives you crazy, why don't you leave? When will you have repaid your debt to him?"

She doesn't meet my eyes, instead staring straight ahead. "Never." She whispers.

"What? What can you possible owe him that's worth wasting your life on someone you hate?"

She whips her head around to glare at me. "I don't hate him!"

"But you just said -"

"I said he drives me crazy! There's a difference!"

I'm completely puzzled, but I back down. I don't want to lose Karai over a stupid thing like Shredder. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But seriously, what do you owe him? Maybe I can help."

She looks away again. "If I told you, you would hate me."

I can't even fathom the notation. "Karai, I could never hate you! I - I love you Karai! And no matter what you owe him, I always will!"

She looks at me in surprise, like she's never heard anyone say that to her. She probably hasn't, I realize, and that breaks my heart. My Sensei has told me several times that he would always love me, and my brothers have a couple of times too, when we're really emotional. Karai deserves to hear it too.

"Really? You promise?" She asks, looking for all the world like a child.

I smile fondly. Even when she's angry, even when she's sad, even when she's scared but would die before admitting it, she is beautiful. "I promise."

She takes a deep breath and sighs. "The Shredder . . . isn't just my boss. He's also . . . my - my father."

* * *

KARAI'S POV

I watch the news hit him. First, confusion as he tries to process what I've just said. Then slow surprise as it starts to dawn on him. Then outright shock.

"Your father?! The Shredder is your father?!"

"Yep. Makes Father's Day a hassle." I try to joke and act nonchalant, trying to act like it isn't a big deal. But it is.

"Your father?! You're Shredder's daughter?!" He repeats dumbly.

"We've established this. Yes, he's my father. That's why I can't leave the Foot. If I did, well, I don't want to think about it. Besides, he's my father." I feel like a broken record, repeating the same thing over and over.

Leo shakes his head slowly, like he's trying to shake something into place. "Oh boy. My family is going to _kill_ me." Something else dawns on him. "Wait, so your mother was married to Shredder?" He sounds confused, and I guess he has the right to be.

"Yeah. Is that so hard to believe?" He starts to open his mouth and I glare at him. "Don't answer that."

He shuts his mouth and smiles instead. It quickly turns into a bewildered frown. "I don't get it."

I take a deep breath. "My father always told me that Hamato Yoshi had come to our home to fight and kill him. In the process, he killed my mother instead. That's why he is still hunting Hamato Yoshi, even after all these years. To avenge my mother's death."

Leo stared, then shook his head. "I - I don't understand. My Sensei has told us to never kill unless there is no other option. Why would he killed your mother?"

"He was trying to kill my father, weren't you listening?" I snap at him.

"Yes, I was." He says calmly. "I was simply wondering aloud. How could he kill your mother instead of Shredder?"

"I don't know." I admit. "My father has never given me the details of her death."

Leo lets out a puff of air and turns his focus to the ground. "I can deal with this later." I hear him mumble. Before I can inquire what he means, he asks me, "Isn't there any way you can prevent Shredder from hunting down my family?"

I shake my head. "I told you. When it comes to his vendetta, he won't let his mind be changed. Not even by his own daughter." Leo looks at me, concerned by that last bit. I turn away. I've been weak around him far too much already. What is it about that turtle that can make me bawl my eyes out?!

"Isn't there anything else he wants? Something he couldn't refuse?" Leo pleads, begging for an answer.

I shake my head again, softly laughing bitterly. "Power? Money? Something that would make him even more feared or get him what he wants?"

"All things I don't have." Leo growls. "My family is going to be killed and I can't do anything to stop it!" He rockets to his feet and starts to pace. I rise as well, and watch him.

"What can I offer him? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Dirt is richer than my family! I can't invent things like Donnie that he could use! I can't make anything useful! All I'm good at is - " He stops pacing and speaking at the same time, an utterly thunderstruck look on his face. He looks like he was just smacked across the face, surprised and slightly hurt.

"Leo?" I ask him. What's going on in that mind of his? "Leo?"

"I - I have an idea. But I - I need to think about it. When is the shipment of weapons coming?"

"Tomorrow at dawn." I inform him.

The tension drains from his shoulders slightly. "Good. Then I have a little time."

"Leo, what are you thinking?"

He smiles thinly at me. "Something crazy."

"Like?" I prompt.

He smiles more sincerely. "I tell you later. For now, can we pretend that - that we have all the time in the world to just relax and goof off?"

I sigh and smile in spite of myself. "All right. Want to do something crazy?"

He smirks. "Like?" He echoes me. I punch his shoulder, hiding a grin. He's such a dork.

"Sparring. We haven't in a while."

One side of his mask rises, like he's raising an eyebrow. "On the top of an unstable bridge in the middle of the night? You can't do anything halfway, can you?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

He rolls his eyes. "Okay." He retreats a few places, then draws a katana. I do the same and mirror him. We circle for a few seconds, before he smirks. "Ladies first."

"What a gentleman." I taunt sarcastically, then leap forward, sword at the ready.

* * *

We spar for a long while, for what feels like hours, but what is probably only a couple. But before the sun has even begun to rise, Leo sheaths his swords.

"I have to go, Karai. I need to think about what I'm going to do. If I go through with it . . ." He trails off.

"Go through with what?" I ask, annoyed he won't tell me. Very annoyed.

He just smiles. "I'll tell you soon. Here." He pulls a pen out of a belt pocket and tears off a piece of his mask. He jots something down and hands the scrap of blue fabric to me. It's a seven digit number. A phone number.

"Text me when you get home. I want to be able to contact you."

"Leo, what are you doing?" I demand to know, tucking his number into a pocket of my own.

"Karai, I promise you will be the first to know. But I have to decide. Hopefully, though, something to save my family." He smiles one more time at me, then kisses my cheek. "Want a ride?"

"Well as I have no clue where I am . . . " I say sarcastically. He rolls his eyes and takes it as a yes.

* * *

**So, what did you think? I thoight that Leo would do something corny like this, taking Karai stargazing and water-splashing. I was going to make it longer, but I figured that this was a good stopping point. The next few events would be better as one chapter, so, yeah. **

**Turtleneck, I hope this fulfilled your wish for a make out scene.**

**Bonus points for anyone who can guess what Leo's planning do.**

**Review please! My muse feeds off of your comments and uses it to draw these ideas out of he abyss and into my mind (if you couldn't tell I've been on a horror story kick lately). So anyway, please review and have a good day/night!**

**-Katana **


	9. Defying

**Ninth Chapter! And I'm pleased to say that a couple of you guessed right. I won't say who, because that would give it away, but that question will be answered in this chapter.**

**I have 66 reviews! I'm so happy!**

**I hope you enjoy this installment! Happy reading!**

DONNIE'S POV

The night we spent waiting up for Leo to return on the Shell Cycle was tense, to say the least. We had waited for about 45 minutes in our usual abandoned track of subway before admitting Leo probably wouldn't be coming anytime soon and heading back to the Lair. When we got back, we were forced to explain to Master Splinter why Leo wasn't with us. Reluctantly, I did so, explaining Leo had gone to help Karai after she had saved our lives. Raph added that it had been almost an hour ago.

"Can you track him, Donatello?" Master Splinter had asked.

I had shook my head, and held up Leo's phone. "He left his phone in the van."

Master Splinter had frowned, and ordered us to wait up for Leo. So we got some stuff to keep us busy, and camped out in the living room. One hour turned to two, and two hours turned to three. No sign of Leo. When it hit the three-and-a-half hour mark, we were sitting in front of the TV, not really paying attention to the show.

"Ugh, don't tell me it's going to be another all-nighter." Raph groans.

"Seriously. How long could he possibly spend with that girl?" Mikey rolls his eyes, bored beyond belief.

As the only one there that even knew a smidge of the truth, I feel I had to say something. "Cut him some slack, guys."

"Why should we?" Raph argues.

"Because -" I cut myself off, fast. I almost let it slip! Crap. What kind of secret keeper am I?

Raph narrows his eyes at me. "Because _what, _Donnie?"

"Because, um -" I struggle to think of something, anything. "Because he's her friend, and she's his. He just wants to hang out with her. Is that so wrong?" I defend.

"It is when the friend is in the Foot, Donnie!" Raph says. He sighs. "Look, if she wasn't, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But she is, and worse still, Leo has a crush on her." _Oh, he has more than a crush on her, bro. Heck, she's his girlfriend!_ "Leo's just going to get hurt, or he won't be able to fight her if the time comes. Believe it or not, I don't want to see that happen."

"Then you could act like it." I say.

"Awww, Raphie, you do care!" Mikey teases.

Raph growls. "I told you not to call me that!" He slaps Mikey upside the head.

"Ow!" Mikey rubs his head. "Quit doing that!"

"Stop doing things to deserve it, then."

"Guys, shush. I thought I heard -" I don't finish, but I don't have to. They fall quiet as the sound of a motor echoes through the Lair. A streak of black darts under the Shellraiser, and a minute later the doors ding open to reveal Leo. One look, and I can tell something huge has happened. Leo is frowning, thinking deeply about something, and his arms are hugging himself. His eyes stay glued to the floor, haunted. Yet there is something that says he enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend.

"Where have you been?" Raph demands to know. Leo looks up, and just stares at him, a touch of sadness behind his blue eyes.

"Yeah dude, it's been hours, what have you been up to?" Mikey asks.

"Not your business." Leo says roughly, the sadness turning into annoyance.

"Ah, but it is mine Leonardo." A voice says behind me, and Master Splinter steps forward. "Where have you been?"

"Some place. Somewhere peaceful." Leo says vaguely. Master Splinter doesn't comment, but I can tell he isn't pleased with Leo's answer. Bro, what are you doing?

"Why have you not come back sooner?" Master Splinter tries again.

"I was busy." Leo says simply.

"Busy with what?"

"Talking."

"To who?"

"Someone."

"Why did you leave your brothers?"

"To do an honorable thing."

"What was this honorable thing?"

"Saving someone's life."

"Why were you saving their life?"

"It was honorable. And they - Karai saved ours. It was the right thing to do." Leo admits he was saving Karai. I can tell he realizes Splinter already knows this.

"What did you do after you saved her?"

"I talked to her."

"Why?"

"To make sure she wasn't hurt." Leo's mouth stays flat, but his eyes are twinkling in a way that reminds me of a wolf. He's enjoying this back and forth, like a wolf enjoys toying with their prey. Leo can't lie, I realize, but he can sure be as vague as he wants.

"After that? Why did you not come back immediately?"

"I didn't want to." He says simply.

"Why not?"

"She doesn't make me mad all the time. She cares about me and listens to me. She had something more to tell me. Something important. I listen to her, because she is my friend, and she needs a friend, because she is alone in life." The predatory spark in his eye is gone, replaced with good old-fashioned anger. "She has told me things about her life, and they break my heart. Everything that she should have has been taken from her. Her mother, her home, her chance at a normal childhood. Her father, even. All taken away. Now her only friend has been ordered to stay away from her, leaving her all alone _again. _I will not let that happen." Leo's gaze is fierce, and I am once again reminded of a wolf. Except now, he is angry, plain and simple, protecting the one he loves by clashing with Master Splinter. I have to admire his guts, but another part of me, a huge part is screaming at him, asking him what the shell he's doing, and what Master Splinter has done to deserve this much anger. I know he is mad for banning him from seeing Karai, but this seems to go past that, to something else.

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter snaps at him, reminding him who is the father and who is the son. But Leo ignores the warning.

"Yes, I was with Karai the past three hours. That's what you want me to say, isn't it, even though you already know. She had something of great importance to tell me, and by doing so she has risked the Shredder's wrath if he ever finds out, all to tell me and try to help. And the thanks she gets for this, and for drawing some of Shredder's attention to the Kraang, is to take the only person she has away from her. Yeah. We're totally the good guys. She needs me, and I need her. Why is that so hard to understand?" Leo pauses to catch his breath, eyes still blazing with a roaring fire. Everything he had been holding back all these weeks is spilling out in a great wave of frustration, anger, and grief.

"Her mother is dead! Murdered! Her father treats her like she's dirt and drives her insane, so she ignores him! She's never been allowed to have a friend or any thing _close_ to a normal life! She was pressured to join the Foot from a young age, and if she tried to leave, Shredder would hunt her to the ends of the Earth! She's stuck in a horrible life, and instead of doing the honorable and right thing by helping her, you all just push her down like she's just another Foot soldier. And worst of all, is who she says is behind a huge source of her pain. So go ahead and punish me. I don't care. If helping her is a crime, so be it. But I don't regret anything." His eyes flash, and I can hear the ghost words that he doesn't say. _I love her._ I can see it in his eyes. He loves her. I wonder if anyone else can see it too.

No one speaks, all shocked that the calm, quiet, always respectful Leonardo has dared to speak in such a way to Master Splinter. When our silence stretches from seconds to minutes, Leo closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, grabs his T-Phone from where I left it on the TV, and marches to his room. He glances over his shoulder, and for a moment we lock eyes. The fire I saw before is gone, flickering out. Now he just looks . . . sad. No, like he's going to be sad. Likes he's about to do something. Something . . . bad. He smiles sadly at me, then slips in his room, leaving us all to stare at his wake.

Mikey sums everything up in one word. "Whoa."

I nod. "Whoa."

* * *

LEO'S POV

I close my door behind me, and let out a huge sigh. I can't believe I just said all that. I don't really know where it came from; it certainly wasn't what I had been planning to say. But ever since I met Karai, the lid I have been able to put over my emotions has disappeared. If I'm mad, they'll know it. Same goes with sad, happy, irradiated and rebellious.

I had been planning to just confront Master Splinter with Karai's accusations before putting my master plan into effect. But something, I'm not sure what, triggered my temper, and I exploded, everything I have been feeling and dying to say just pouring out. I feel good in a way, like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest by the act of giving my family (well, mainly Sensei) a piece of my mind. I'm not calm Leonardo who will always do what he's told anymore. I have met someone who has changed that, and now I will openly share my emotions, and I have learned I actually have a temper _worse _then Raph's when push comes to shove. I know now that nothing is what it seems, and from my heist (has it only been less then two months?) I learned that it's not black and white; that the line isn't as clear as it's supposed to be. I stole, which is wrong, but did good. Everything is not what it seems.

I flop down on my bed and bury my head in my pillow. A sharp headache is raging through my mind and I am exhausted. But I can't go to sleep just yet. I need to make a decision. Whether or not I should go through with my plan.

I breath in and out, nothing but darkness around me as I clamp my eyes shut and keep my eyes hidden in my cool pillow. The Shredder plans to hunt my family down. If he is allowed to unopposed, he will most likely succeed, or at least has a pretty good chance to. I can not let that happen. I can not beat him though, or stop him from obtaining the weapons or the Foot soldiers. So I have to stop him from using them. Which means, I have to give him something in exchange for my family's safety. But as I said on the bridge, I can't build anything or give him money or power. I can only give him what I have. And all I have of any worth is my skill in the art of ninjitsu. Which is why I will offer him my service in exchange for my family's safety.

Obviously, there are many things that could go wrong with it, and I may be forced to make horrible decisions if I do this. But my family comes first. I will throw away my life if it means I can protect them. But can I really do this? Can I offer myself to the Shredder, even if it means saving my family? I want to say yes. But I feel . . . scared. Ever since I was small, the Shredder has been the bogeyman. I have met him once face-to-face, and his level of skill was frightening. To voluntarily go before him is not something I can take lightly.

My phone buzzes beside me on my bed. I pray my head from the pillow and look at the display. New text message from an unknown number. I grin and open it.

_U there Captain?_

Yep. Definitely Karai.

_Hey there, Black Widow._

_So original._

_Like Captain is? :p_

_Do u just stick your tongue out at me?_

_Yep, in text. :)_

_What's with the faces?_

_Faces are text symbols used to express emotion._

_Haha. So funny. :|_

_See, like that! :)_

_Ok, now that uve corrupted me, why did u want to text?_

_I wanted a way I could contact u, WITHOUT my entire family knowing._

Well, that was only half true. Yes, I wanted a secret way to contact her, but I only plan to use it this one time. After that, I won't need to.

_ok then. So what's the plan?_

_Still trying to work up the nerve to do it._

_Want to actually tell me what it is? I assume it involves me._

Pretty and smart. I love her.

_lucky guess. *sigh* yes it does. I need to give something to Shredder to get him to stand down on attacking my family. I only have one thing to offer him that won't get myself killed instantly. Want to take a guess?_

_... No, Leo, don't._

_I have to. It's the only way. He can't refuse a highly qualified ninja who can make mincemeat out of his top soldiers._

_Ha, u've never beaten me._

_Okay, all of his top soldiers except u. The fact still remains, if I can make it sound valuable enough, he might back off._

_Or he might kill u where u stand._

_It's a chance I have 2 take, Karai. It's the only way to at least buy my family some time. Will u help me? U by my side vouching for me, or at least telling shredder u've given me ur word of honor may help ensure I can leave alive._

_...huh. u r such a demanding boyfriend._

My cheeks flush red. Boyfriend? I'm her boyfriend? I mean, I kinda think of her as my girlfriend, I mean, what else is she? But this is the first time either of us has said anything like that. The word feels good. It feels good to belong to someone, and to have someone in return. To love and be loved. I know I am loved by my family, but this is different. More . . . personal.

_Hey, ur no walk in the park of a girlfriend either. So that's a yes?_

_Duh. I thought u were smart._

_I humbly apologize for not believing the best of thou. Will thou mercifully accept my humble apology, My Lady?_

_Sure. Whatever u dork. _

I smile fondly at her message. Before I can respond though, another one beeps in.

_So when's zero hour?_

_Um, whenever I can get away. I kind of blew my top on Hamato Yoshi._

_Yes! Ur awesome!_

_Don't thank me yet. I haven't even started on ur mother. It was mainly him separating us and condemning me for spending time with you._

_That dirty little rat! -_-#_

When I read her text, I burst out laughing. Oh, the irony! I muffle the laughter with my pillow, trying not to get a brother or Sensei at my door.

_LOL! Karai, do u know how my brothers and I came to be how we r?_

_No, should I?_

_We were pet store turtles(okay, weird to think about) and were bought by Hamato Yoshi. He passed a strange man on the streets and followed him. One encounter with the Kraang and a broken mutagen canister later, and all 5 of us had mutated. We became us, and Hamato Yoshi became a *drumroll* rat! One had scurried across his foot._

_Fitting. _

_So I'll try to sneak away as soon as I can, okay? If I don't get an opportunity by midnight, I'll just have to leave no matter what. C u soon?_

_K. Bye._

_Love u._

I expect that to be the end of that, but a minute later, I get another message.

_Love u 2._

I nearly faint in happiness. Oh. My. Gosh. Karai loves me too! This is the best day of my life! I LOVE BEING A TURTLE!

* * *

Despite my insanely high spirits, I fall asleep on my bed. Hey, it's been a long night. And I'm going to need the rest. Tonight's looking to be a pretty big night as well.

* * *

I wake up at about 4 in the afternoon. I haven't exactly been sleeping well, so sleeping for so long has me feeling refreshed. Briefly, I wonder why I woke up. Then my question is answered by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"Santa Claus." A voice says sarcastically. Donnie.

I roll my eyes, yet hop off my bed and unlock the door for him. I crack it open. "Come on in Donnie." I let him walk past me and can't help yawning. "Ya woke me up, Don. What's up?"

"What's up? Um, how about you went postal on Master Splinter about 12 hours ago?" He cocks his head at me. "What on earth were you thinking?"

"I wasn't planning on doing it. But I don't regret it. I meant every single word Donnie."

"Oh boy." Donnie shakes his head and sighs. "So what went on between you and Karai tonight? You looked like you had just learned something huge."

"I did." I admit. "But I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I need to process it."

"What have you been doing for the past 12 hours, then?"

"I told you. Sleeping. I'm exhausted Donnie."

"It's your own fault for staying up so late all the time." Donnie scolds me. "It isn't healthy Leo."

"Yes, Doctor Donatello." I sigh.

"Leo, I - oh forget it."

"So what are the others saying?"

"Mainly just freaking out over the fact you flipped out on Master Splinter. Leo, why did you?"

"Pent up frustration, I guess."

Donnie's not letting me get away with that, though. "It was more than that and know it. Come on, Leo. You can trust me. Why are you so furious with Master Splinter?"

"Donnie, I'll tell you, I promise. Just not right now. I'm so confused myself. I need time to think, alright?"

Donnie sighs. "I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

I smile and shake my head.

"Fine. It's your funeral."

"So, what's the deal on patrol tonight?"

Donnie swallows nervously. "Um, I - I don't think w-we're going on patrol tonight, L-Leo."

I blink. Not what I was expecting. "What? Why not?"

"Well, Leo, you're kinda grounded." That hits home. Me? Grounded? I've never been grounded before! That's Raph's title. Well, I guess I can't expect Master Splinter to let me get away with what I said.

"But Don, we _have _to go out tonight. Shredder's planning something, something big. That's what Karai needed to tell me. She didn't get the specifics, but if we don't do something, there's a good chance he'll find the Lair."

Donnie's eyes open wide. "Find the Lair? How?"

I think fast, trying to make up something that sounds plausible. "He's sending Dogpound and Fishface out to collect weapons from the Purple Dragons. Powerful weapons, and a lot of tech. Tech he can use to locate the Lair. I don't know when or where, but we can't just let Shredder get away with it."

Donnie frowns, looking troubled. "This is bad, Leo. Really bad. You need to tell Master Splinter right away."

I purse my lips and turn my gaze the floor. No way. No way can I do that. One, he would know I'm not being entirely truthful. Two, I'll just get angry with him again, and he'll interrogate me. Not happening.

"Donnie, can you tell him? I - I don't feel up to facing him right now. Please? No matter how mad he is with me, he has to let me out to help."

"All right, I tell him. But he won't like that you're sending me."

My mouth twists into a scowl. "He can deal."

Donnie stares at me, but sighs and leaves. I lock my door back behind me, and jump back into my bed. I set an alarm on my T-phone for 7:30. Patrol is at 8:30, and I want time to write a farewell letter.

I then crawl under the covers for another nap. I drift off with thoughts of Shredder, Karai, her mother, and Splinter chasing each other around in endless loops.

* * *

7:30 rolls around, and I sit and write a letter of farewell to my family, careful not to hint where I'm going. By the time I finish, my wastecan is overflowing with crumpled up drafts. Feeling a pang in my heart at what I am about to do, I fold the letter and address it to _My Family._ I blink back tears, and wait for the dreaded clock to strike the time where I must abandon my room and my family. Try as I might, fond memories flood my brain. Mutation Days, missions, patrols, evenings spent together, laughing and smiling like nothing in the world could possibly bring us down. I'm going to miss my family, even Master Splinter, as mad and confused about him I am. He has treated me like a son, and I see him as a father. It isn't easy to tell a father goodbye.

I'll miss Raph. As much as we fight, I do love him. He's my little brother and my best friend, and when he lets his softer side show, he is absolutely amazing. I'm not mad him for exposing me any more. He had every right. We had a deal. I wish I could talk to him about this all, but I'm afraid we wouldn't understand, and would try to stop me. But this is something I have to do.

I'll miss Donnie. He always understands how I'm feeling, and can get me to laugh. I'll miss all his geekiness, and how he kept my secret. He helped me in the name of love, and I hope to be able to repay him. I told him a lot, but I couldn't tell him everything. The letter will explain, though.

I'll miss my baby brother Mikey. He may get annoying, but he always manages to get me smiling, even on my worst days. He's a walking ball of sunshine, and I wish I could save his light to take with me into the dark abyss I'm about to travel into.

I'll miss my family. I love them with all my being, but that's exactly why I have to leave. To protect them from harm. That's my job as leader and eldest brother, and I plan to fulfill it to the very end. I hope with all soul that I will see them again, as their brother, and that this war with Shredder will not separate and tear us all apart. But some part of me worries I will have to face them in battle, and another worries that I'll never see them again.

8:30. A knock on my door, and the simple sound is so ominous to me. I tuck the letter in my belt behind me so whoever it is can't see it, then get up and answer. It's Donnie, of course.

"It's time, Leo." Could he have picked more appropriate words?

"Okay Donnie, just let me grab my swords. He nods, and I shut the door back. I sheath my swords, and quickly text Karai, telling her to meet me at 9th and Virgina, where we sparred that night weeks ago. I immediately get an affirmative, and tuck the phone in my pocket. I open the door, and Donnie's waiting. We exchange smiles, and he walks in front of me. Quickly, I tape the note to my door. Hopefully, Master Splinter won't look before my brothers come back. I catch up to Donnie, and join up with Raph and Mikey. We don't say much, instead heading straight up to the surface. Master Splinter doesn't see us off.

We head towards Chinatown, as that seems to be the Purple Dragons home base. We stakeout near Dragon's Gate, and I patiently bid my time. After a few minutes, my bros start to relax. Slowly, carefully, I start typing a message on my T-phone to no one. I set the phone down without a sound, and point up into the sky.

"Was that the Kraang ship?" Immediately, all eyes are on the sky, except mine. My brothers can be so gullible some times, and I hate taking advantage of it. But it is necessary. I runas far and as fast as I can while using stealth. Behind me, I can confused brothers talking, their tones getting more and more alarmed, until we are no longer in earshot. I blink heavily, trying not to cry.

It doesn't take me long to reach 9th and Virginia. Karai is already waiting for me.

"You sure you want to do this Leo?" The enormity of what I'm doing hits harder than it ever has before, and this time I can't hold it in. Silent tears streak down my face, and my heart feels like it's being squeezed by a huge fist. I give myself one minute to give in to the urge, then wipe my tears way and stand up straighter. I nod to Karai, who makes no comment on my actions.

"I'm sure. Lead the way, Karai."

_Lead the way to my new life._

**Um, okay, I planned to have more Splinter/ Leo interaction, but my muse Siddhartha was the way to go, and bad things happen when I refuse my muse, so I went with this.**

**Please review! I treasure every single one, and they inspire me to write!**

**Have an awesome weekend! I know I'll try, because I have state testing starting Monday. Whoppee. :(**

**Anyway, review and have a good one. **


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